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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. capital — a city
  3. saw — the tool
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. row — to paddle
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ground — the earth
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. row — a line
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. rash — a series
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. ground — a position
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. fall — the season
  23. rash — hasty
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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