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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: squash · game · cabinet · capital · fan · net · arm · firm

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. squash — the sport
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. net — in sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. capital — a city
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. firm — decided
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. net — after costs
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. squash — to crush
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. net — for catching
  19. firm — steady
  20. game — wild animals
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. firm — a company
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. game — a match

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