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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wind — moving air
  3. march — the month
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. vault — a safe
  7. march — music
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. capital — money
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wind — moving air
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. capital — a city
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. hand — in cards
  16. march — the month
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mine — for digging
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. hand — help
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mine — an explosive

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