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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: capital · content · toast · roll · pit · season · bank · net

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. season — of the year
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bank — of a river
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. capital — money
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. net — after costs
  9. bank — for money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. net — in sport
  12. toast — bread
  13. content — the amount
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. season — in sport
  16. bank — for money
  17. net — for catching
  18. content — happy
  19. roll — a cake
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. roll — a list
  22. pit — in a race
  23. capital — a city
  24. pit — a hole

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