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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · capital · nail · ball · wound · field · fork · coach

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. fork — in a road
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. capital — money
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. court — of a king
  16. field — a subject
  17. court — for sport
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. court — of law
  20. field — farmland
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. field — for sport
  23. capital — a city
  24. coach — a trainer

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