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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. capital — money
  5. pop — soda
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. field — farmland
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. capital — a city
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mark — a trace
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. field — for sport
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pop — music
  22. mark — a grade
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. field — a subject

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