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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: capital · staff · ground · coach · net · date · snap · pit

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. net — for catching
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ground — a position
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pit — in a race
  8. net — after costs
  9. capital — money
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. net — in sport
  12. date — the fruit
  13. staff — a stick
  14. snap — to click
  15. ground — crushed
  16. staff — employees
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. staff — employees
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. pit — a hole
  21. ground — the earth
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. capital — a city

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