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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. scale — size or range
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. scale — in music
  6. capital — a city
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. content — the amount
  9. mark — a grade
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. capital — money
  12. march — the month
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. march — the month
  15. prune — to trim
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. prune — to trim
  18. march — music
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mark — a trace
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. content — happy
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. content — videos and posts

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