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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: calf · pass · bat · bear · coach · capital · ground · rash

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bear — the animal
  6. capital — money
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pass — a permit
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. capital — a city
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rash — hasty
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rash — a series
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. calf — of the leg

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