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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: capital · arm · toast · wave · foot · calf · march · saw

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. saw — the tool
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. march — the month
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. capital — money
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. capital — a city
  17. saw — the tool
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. toast — bread
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. foot — a measure

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