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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. roll — a list
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fine — all right
  6. ball — a great time
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. spell — a short time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wind — moving air
  12. foot — a measure
  13. ball — a dance
  14. capital — money
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. spell — letters
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. spell — magic
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. wind — moving air

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