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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: pass · bass · board · coach · season · trunk · capital · bat

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. board — a committee
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. season — in sport
  12. board — to get on
  13. season — of the year
  14. pass — a permit
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bass — low music
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bass — the fish

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