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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mine — for digging
  4. band — a music group
  5. fall — to drop
  6. perch — the fish
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. capital — a city
  9. fall — the season
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cue — for pool
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. cue — a signal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. band — a ring
  23. cue — a hint
  24. arm — a part of something

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