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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: capital · toast · cabinet · pit · last · plane · club · wake

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. last — final
  3. toast — bread
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pit — a hole
  6. club — a group
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. club — for golf
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pit — in a race
  13. wake — a trail
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. plane — a tool
  23. club — for dancing
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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