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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: foot · land · leaves · capital · rule · shower · arm · mark

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mark — a grade
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. capital — money
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. capital — a city
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. land — to come down
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. shower — to wash
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. shower — rain
  19. foot — a measure
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. rule — a law
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rule — government

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