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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 120 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: arm · fine · bay · drill · content · capital · foot · race

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. content — the amount
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. race — a contest
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. capital — money
  9. drill — the tool
  10. capital — a city
  11. race — humankind
  12. drill — a practice
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. drill — army training
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. race — the arms race
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bay — a horse colour

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