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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: ground · arm · capital · kick · perch · ruler · bank · chair

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. perch — the fish
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bank — of a river
  5. capital — money
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bank — for money
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bank — for money
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. kick — in football
  19. ground — crushed
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. capital — a city

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