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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. suit — to fit
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. suit — clothes
  13. foot — a measure
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wound — an injury
  16. net — in sport
  17. capital — money
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. band — a ring
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. capital — a city

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