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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: chest · arm · mouse · perch · court · bore · capital · nail

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. chest — of your body
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. bore — to drill
  6. capital — money
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. capital — a city
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chest — a box
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. perch — the fish
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bore — to tire
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chest — of your 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