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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: march · chair · game · tube · capital · arm · coach · cap

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. game — wild animals
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. capital — money
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cap — a hat
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. game — a match
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. march — the month
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. capital — a city
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. chair — a leader

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