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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mark — a grade
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. land — to come down
  5. capital — a city
  6. swing — in golf
  7. row — to paddle
  8. swing — music
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. land — a country
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. swing — to play on
  16. row — a line
  17. mark — a trace
  18. board — a committee
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. land — ground
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. capital — money
  24. board — to get on

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