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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: kid · snap · club · cabinet · last · pitch · toast · spell

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. pitch — completely
  6. last — final
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kid — child
  9. spell — magic
  10. last — finally
  11. club — for dancing
  12. spell — letters
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. last — to go on
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. snap — to click
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. kid — to tease
  24. toast — bread

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