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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bank — for money
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bank — for money
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bore — to tire
  10. capital — a city
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bore — to drill
  17. field — for sport
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. capital — money
  24. cold — not warm

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