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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. game — a match
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. net — for catching
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. net — after costs
  17. game — wild animals
  18. club — for dancing
  19. capital — a city
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — a group
  23. pitch — completely
  24. net — in sport

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