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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 116 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: band · season · kick · march · coach · capital · last · chip

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. march — the month
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. march — the month
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. last — to go on
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. march — music

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