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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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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: cap · capital · temple · coach · net · tear · snap · bowl

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. snap — to click
  8. net — for catching
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. capital — money
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. net — after costs
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. net — in sport
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cap — a hat
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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