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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — a company
  3. land — a country
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. court — of law
  6. last — finally
  7. capital — money
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. firm — steady
  10. land — to come down
  11. last — to go on
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. land — ground
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bank — for money
  19. capital — a city
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. last — final
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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