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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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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: bat · wake · toast · cabinet · board · rule · capital · calf

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rule — government
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wake — a trail
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. board — a committee
  19. rule — a law
  20. board — to get on
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. toast — bread
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cabinet — ministers

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