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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.

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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: firm · cap · coach · swing · capital · shower · sharp · trunk

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. firm — decided
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. firm — steady
  5. cap — of ice
  6. shower — rain
  7. swing — music
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. capital — money
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. swing — in golf
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cap — a hat
  17. capital — a city
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cap — a lid
  22. shower — to wash
  23. firm — a company
  24. coach — a trainer

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