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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 · toast · staff · plane · pop · club · fine · tube

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. club — for golf
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. pop — music
  6. toast — bread
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. fine — all right
  10. club — a group
  11. pop — to visit
  12. plane — a tool
  13. fine — high quality
  14. tube — a container
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. pop — soda
  17. club — for dancing
  18. capital — a city
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. staff — employees

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