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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.

Make a worksheet

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: hand · arm · spell · chip · toast · mug · craft · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. capital — money
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. craft — boats
  12. spell — letters
  13. mug — a cup
  14. chip — for betting
  15. spell — magic
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. toast — bread
  21. spell — a short time
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. craft — a skill

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