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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 · mark · wake · ground · pass · can · arm · capital

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. capital — a city
  3. mark — a grade
  4. capital — money
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. can — a tin
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. mark — a trace
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. can — to be able to
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. can — a tin

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