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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. root — of a word
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. capital — a city
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. capital — money
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. snap — to click
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. chair — a leader
  17. squash — the sport
  18. season — in sport
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. squash — to crush
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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