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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · chest · sharp · capital · game · bound · date · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chest — a box
  3. bound — tied together
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. game — a match
  7. foot — a measure
  8. date — the fruit
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. chest — of your body
  11. capital — money
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bound — obliged
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chest — of your body
  16. game — wild animals
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bound — certain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com