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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. capital — money
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. season — of the year
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. bear — the animal
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wax — to grow
  16. season — in sport
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. swing — music
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. capital — a city
  21. bear — the animal
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. swing — to play on

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