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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. club — a group
  3. stock — goods
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rest — what's left
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. club — for golf
  10. rest — what's left
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. capital — money
  13. stock — shares
  14. foot — a measure
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. toast — bread
  18. club — for dancing
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. capital — a city

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