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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. kick — in football
  3. rest — a break
  4. capital — a city
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. rule — government
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. rule — a law
  13. race — humankind
  14. court — of a king
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. capital — money
  20. race — a contest
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. pound — a weight
  24. kick — a thrill

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