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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. march — the month
  4. capital — money
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. tear — from crying
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. march — the month
  11. capital — a city
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. deal — to handle
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. march — music
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. tear — to rip
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pitch — completely
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. tear — from crying

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