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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.

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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: coach · mine · bay · ball · root · capital · racket · safe

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. root — of a word
  13. capital — a city
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. root — of a plant
  21. capital — money
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. root — the cause

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