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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · capital · pitcher · rash · bear · fall · racket · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fall — the season
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. net — in sport
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rash — a series
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. net — for catching
  19. fall — to drop
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bear — the animal
  22. capital — a city
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. net — after costs

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