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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.

Words on the sheet
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: coach · pitcher · cap · capital · cold · kid · bulb · firm

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cap — a lid
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. firm — decided
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bulb — for light
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kid — to tease
  20. firm — a company
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. firm — steady
  24. kid — child

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