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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 116 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
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: chair · file · stock · safe · coach · field · capital · racket

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. file — a tool
  3. capital — a city
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. chair — a leader
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stock — goods
  13. capital — money
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. field — for sport
  21. stock — shares
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. racket — a loud noise

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