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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · jam · capital · press · arm · racket · cell · root

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. cell — in biology
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. capital — a city
  8. root — of a word
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cell — a phone
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. root — the cause
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. press — a publisher
  17. root — of a plant
  18. press — to push
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. capital — money
  21. press — newspapers
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. cell — in a prison

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