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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. board — to get on
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. band — a ring
  5. ball — a dance
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. capital — a city
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. capital — money
  11. board — a committee
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. band — a music group
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. ball — a great time

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