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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.

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: sharp · coach · toast · land · trunk · bay · capital · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. toast — bread
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. land — a country
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. capital — money
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. capital — a city
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. trunk — of a car

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