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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: club · capital · degree · foot · lie · spell · toast · plane

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. degree — from a university
  6. toast — bread
  7. lie — to recline
  8. capital — a city
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. spell — letters
  12. foot — a measure
  13. degree — an amount
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. plane — a tool
  16. spell — magic
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. capital — money
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. club — for golf
  22. spell — a short time
  23. degree — temperature
  24. foot — part of the body

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