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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 116 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: ball · chip · trunk · field · bass · coach · file · capital

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. capital — money
  3. bass — low music
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bass — the fish
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. field — farmland
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. ball — a dance
  17. chip — for betting
  18. field — a subject
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ball — a great time
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. file — a line of people
  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