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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. swing — music
  4. bore — to drill
  5. present — there
  6. foot — a measure
  7. capital — money
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. swing — in golf
  10. present — a gift
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. row — a line
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. present — the time now
  17. capital — a city
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bore — to tire
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. swing — to play on
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. row — to paddle

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