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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: arm · rest · capital · craft · fork · last · saw · fine

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fine — all right
  4. capital — a city
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rest — what's left
  8. craft — a skill
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. last — finally
  13. rest — what's left
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rest — a break
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. craft — boats
  23. capital — money
  24. saw — the tool

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