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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: present · swing · capital · season · ground · coach · bay · fan

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. swing — music
  3. ground — a position
  4. season — in sport
  5. present — a gift
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. season — of the year
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ground — the earth
  10. swing — to play on
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. present — the time now
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. ground — crushed
  23. present — there
  24. fan — a supporter

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