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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 · pit · mouse · last · scale · toast · chip · march

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. last — final
  4. capital — a city
  5. pit — a hole
  6. toast — bread
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. march — music
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. capital — money
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. pit — in a race
  17. chip — to eat
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. last — to go on
  20. chip — for betting
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. last — finally

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