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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 120 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: board · hand · bulb · capital · coach · deal · cap · court

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cap — a hat
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — to get on
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bulb — for light
  9. court — of law
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. capital — money
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. court — of a king
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cap — of ice
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. court — for sport
  22. cap — a lid
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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