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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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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: toast · capital · deal · kid · season · wake

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. season — of the year
  3. toast — bread
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. capital — money
  8. kid — child
  9. season — in sport
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. deal — to handle
  14. wake — a trail
  15. kid — to tease
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. capital — a city
  18. toast — a drink to someone

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