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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: coach · net · fall · arm · firm · pit · foot · capital

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. net — after costs
  3. firm — decided
  4. fall — the season
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fall — to drop
  8. firm — steady
  9. capital — a city
  10. pit — in a race
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pit — a hole
  13. foot — a measure
  14. net — for catching
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fall — to drop
  17. net — in sport
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. capital — money
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. arm — a part of something

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