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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rest — what's left
  5. capital — money
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rest — a break
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. capital — a city
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cell — a phone
  17. vault — a safe
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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