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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 124 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: mine · bat · march · coach · capital · pitcher · bay · sharp

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. march — music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bat — the animal
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — a city
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. march — the month
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. sharp — clever
  19. march — the month
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mine — belonging to me

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