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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: lie · content · roll · capital · pit · plane · toast · spring

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. content — the amount
  4. pit — a hole
  5. capital — a city
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. content — happy
  11. capital — money
  12. lie — to recline
  13. spring — a coil
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. roll — a cake
  16. spring — of water
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. spring — the season
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pit — in a race
  22. toast — bread
  23. plane — a tool
  24. toast — the most admired

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