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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. last — finally
  8. bound — tied together
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. capital — money
  15. last — final
  16. plane — a tool
  17. suit — in cards
  18. drill — the tool
  19. capital — a city
  20. last — to go on
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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