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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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468
Word bank
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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. kid — child
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pitch — completely
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. pit — a hole
  14. kid — to tease
  15. capital — money
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. ball — a great time
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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