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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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468
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: stick · fall · rash · coach · board · bass · capital · cap

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fall — the season
  4. capital — a city
  5. board — to get on
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cap — a lid
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bass — low music
  18. cap — a hat
  19. board — a committee
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rash — a series
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. fall — to drop
  24. capital — money

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