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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. press — to push
  6. fork — in a road
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. last — to go on
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. last — finally
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. cap — of ice
  16. squash — the sport
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cap — a hat
  19. capital — money
  20. press — newspapers
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cap — a lid
  24. capital — a city

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