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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: track · capital · land · racket · pitcher · mug · coach · snap

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mug — a cup
  6. land — ground
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. land — a country
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. track — a song
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. capital — a city
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mug — a face
  18. track — a path
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. snap — to click
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mug — to rob
  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