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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: pit · rash · capital · deal · hand · ruler · field · coach

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. deal — to handle
  5. capital — a city
  6. rash — a series
  7. field — farmland
  8. pit — in a race
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. hand — help
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pit — a hole
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. capital — money
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. field — for sport
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. field — a subject
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. hand — in cards
  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