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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rock — music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. capital — a city
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. net — after costs
  10. plane — a tool
  11. net — for catching
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. saw — the tool
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. net — in sport

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