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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: mate · ground · arm · game · nail · foot · content · capital

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. ground — a position
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. capital — a city
  8. mate — a friend
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. ground — the earth
  12. content — happy
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. capital — money
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. game — a match
  18. ground — crushed
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mate — to breed
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mate — a partner
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. game — wild animals

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