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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: coach · racket · bulb · hide · bat · capital · nail · spell

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bulb — for light
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spell — letters
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. capital — money
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bat — the animal
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bulb — for light
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. capital — a city

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