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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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Word bank
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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: capital · jam · fan · pitcher · pop · suit · degree · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. suit — clothes
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. capital — money
  14. suit — to fit
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. suit — in cards
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pop — to visit
  19. degree — an amount
  20. capital — a city
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  24. capital — a big letter

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