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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mate — a partner
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mate — to breed
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mark — a trace
  17. branch — a division
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. board — a committee
  21. rush — hurry
  22. board — to get on
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. capital — money

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