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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mark — a grade
  3. ball — a dance
  4. capital — money
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spring — the season
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. march — music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. spring — a coil
  14. hand — in cards
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. capital — a city
  21. hand — help
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. spring — of water

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