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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.

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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: racket · swing · chip · capital · coach · spring · field · firm

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. field — farmland
  3. firm — decided
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. firm — steady
  6. swing — in golf
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. swing — to play on
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spring — a coil
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. spring — of water
  17. chip — to eat
  18. capital — money
  19. spring — the season
  20. chip — for betting
  21. capital — a city
  22. swing — music
  23. firm — a company
  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