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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: wound · sharp · can · capital · firm · coach · content · mate

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. firm — a company
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mate — to breed
  5. can — a tin
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wound — an injury
  8. content — the amount
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. content — happy
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mate — a friend
  17. can — to be able to
  18. mate — a partner
  19. sharp — clever
  20. capital — money
  21. can — a tin
  22. wound — an injury
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — steady

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