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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. mate — a friend
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. last — to go on
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mate — a partner
  12. last — finally
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. last — final
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. capital — money
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wave — with your hand

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