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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 120 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: pitcher · cabinet · fall · bulb · chair · coach · ball · capital

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fall — the season
  4. ball — a great time
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. capital — money
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ball — a dance
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. capital — a city
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bulb — for light

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