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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cap — a lid
  3. land — to come down
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. land — ground
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cap — a hat
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. key — the most important part
  14. capital — money
  15. key — for a lock
  16. mine — for digging
  17. cap — of ice
  18. key — in music
  19. capital — a city
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. land — a country
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. mine — an explosive

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