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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bank — for money
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rest — what's left
  10. scale — in music
  11. bat — the animal
  12. stock — goods
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bank — for money
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. stock — shares
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. capital — money
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. capital — a city
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bank — of a river
  24. rest — a break

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