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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: hand · file · rush · root · coach · pass · track · capital

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. capital — money
  3. root — of a plant
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. hand — help
  7. root — of a word
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. file — a document
  13. root — the cause
  14. track — a song
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. file — a line of people
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. file — a tool
  21. pass — a permit
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pass — to spend time

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