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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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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: snap · bank · arm · capital · chip · march · pitcher · chair

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. march — the month
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bank — for money
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. march — the month
  7. bank — of a river
  8. march — music
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. capital — money
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. capital — a city
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bank — for money
  20. chair — a leader
  21. snap — to click
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. chair — a professorship

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