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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. firm — decided
  3. pop — music
  4. capital — a city
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. mark — a grade
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. ground — a position
  9. capital — money
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pop — to visit
  14. firm — steady
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. kick — in football
  17. mark — a trace
  18. ground — the earth
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. pop — soda
  21. ground — crushed
  22. firm — a company
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. foot — the bottom

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