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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: chest · capital · snap · foot · arm · suit · court · toast

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. toast — bread
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. court — of a king
  9. suit — in cards
  10. court — for sport
  11. chest — of your body
  12. suit — clothes
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. capital — a city
  15. foot — a measure
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. snap — to click
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. suit — to fit
  23. court — of law
  24. foot — part of the body

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