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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.

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: rock · coach · mark · wound · rest · capital · pitcher · safe

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  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. mark — a grade
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wound — an injury
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rest — a break
  23. rock — music
  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