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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: board · scale · race · present · coach · capital · mug · court

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  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. capital — money
  2. race — a contest
  3. mug — to rob
  4. present — a gift
  5. board — a committee
  6. court — of law
  7. race — the arms race
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. present — the time now
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mug — a cup
  14. capital — a city
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. race — humankind
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. board — to get on
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. scale — size or range
  22. present — there
  23. mug — a face
  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