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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. saw — the tool
  3. object — a thing
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. object — an aim
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. object — to protest
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. wound — an injury
  13. deal — to handle
  14. capital — money
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. capital — a city
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. saw — the tool
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. toast — bread
  24. leaves — lets stay

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