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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
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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: plane · capital · ball · track · toast · sharp · dip · cap

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. dip — to sink
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. ball — a dance
  6. capital — a city
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. capital — money
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. sharp — clever
  14. track — a path
  15. toast — bread
  16. track — to keep track
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. track — a song
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. cap — of ice
  24. dip — to dunk

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