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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fine — high quality
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rest — what's left
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. rock — music
  13. bank — for money
  14. fine — all right
  15. bank — of a river
  16. tube — the underground
  17. capital — money
  18. kid — child
  19. bank — for money
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rest — a break
  24. tube — a container

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