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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bound — obliged
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bound — tied together
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. scale — in music
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. sharp — clever
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fine — all right
  15. bound — certain
  16. capital — a city
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fine — high quality
  19. capital — money
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. scale — size or range
  24. arm — part of the body

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