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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: bat · roll · coach · straw · can · pop · capital · bay

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pop — soda
  3. can — a tin
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. roll — a list
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. capital — a city
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bat — the animal
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pop — music

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