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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.

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: calf · capital · pitcher · spell · march · toast · mug · rest

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. mug — a cup
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mug — to rob
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. march — music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. capital — money
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rest — a break
  14. toast — bread
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spell — magic
  18. mug — a face
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. rest — what's left
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. march — the month
  23. spell — letters
  24. march — the month

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