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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. rash — a series
  7. wound — an injury
  8. capital — money
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. race — humankind
  11. rash — hasty
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. mark — a trace
  22. foot — a measure
  23. capital — a city
  24. jam — in traffic

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