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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: staff · pop · rest · racket · coach · cell · capital · date

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rest — a break
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cell — in biology
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. staff — a stick
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pop — soda
  11. staff — employees
  12. pop — to visit
  13. staff — employees
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. capital — money
  18. date — the fruit
  19. cell — a phone
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pop — music
  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