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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.

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: game · coach · face · bowl · capital · perch · racket · bear

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bear — the animal
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. face — to point toward
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. face — to confront
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. face — part of the head
  17. capital — a city
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. game — a match
  22. perch — the fish
  23. capital — money
  24. bear — the animal

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