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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · capital · bowl · bound · ball · arm · cap · rash

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rash — a series
  8. cap — a hat
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rash — hasty
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. ball — a dance
  17. capital — money
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bound — tied together
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. cap — of ice
  24. capital — a city

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