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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bear — the animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rash — hasty
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bear — the animal
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. capital — a city
  21. branch — a division
  22. toast — bread
  23. ground — a position
  24. rash — a series

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