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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. current — happening now
  7. rest — what's left
  8. capital — money
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rest — a break
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. current — of water
  16. kick — in football
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. current — electric
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rest — what's left
  24. capital — a big letter

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