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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pop — music
  6. mug — to rob
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. capital — a city
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. pop — soda
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. can — to be able to
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — a face
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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