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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: deal · calf · bowl · coach · capital · land · pitcher · rule

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. land — to come down
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rule — a law
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. land — ground
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. land — a country
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rule — government
  22. capital — a city
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bowl — to roll

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