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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. spring — a coil
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mug — a cup
  7. file — a tool
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. file — a document
  10. capital — a city
  11. staff — a stick
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pitch — completely
  15. spring — the season
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. staff — employees
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. spring — of water
  22. staff — employees
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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