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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: suit · last · capital · chair · squash · bat · toast · temple

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. 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. bat — the animal
  2. last — to go on
  3. squash — to crush
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. last — final
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. suit — in cards
  11. suit — to fit
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. suit — clothes
  19. capital — a city
  20. squash — the sport
  21. last — finally
  22. toast — bread
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. 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