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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. toast — bread
  4. fine — all right
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. perch — the fish
  8. chip — for betting
  9. net — for catching
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. net — in sport
  12. chip — to eat
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. capital — money
  19. net — after costs
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fine — high quality
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. rush — a thrill
  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