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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.

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: chest · track · season · field · capital · coach · ruler · bay

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. track — to keep track
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. capital — money
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. track — a song
  15. chest — of your body
  16. field — a subject
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. season — in sport
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chest — a box
  22. season — of the year
  23. track — a path
  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