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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
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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: game · perch · track · last · current · coach · plane · capital

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. current — electric
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. track — to keep track
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. plane — a tool
  12. last — finally
  13. track — a path
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. game — a match
  16. perch — the fish
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. last — final
  19. track — a song
  20. capital — money
  21. current — of water
  22. capital — a city
  23. current — happening now
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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