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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rule — government
  5. capital — money
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. ground — a position
  8. charge — in control
  9. ground — the earth
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. ground — crushed
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. capital — a city
  14. kid — child
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. charge — electricity
  17. hand — help
  18. charge — a price
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rule — a law
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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