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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: squash · track · perch · ball · club · capital · ground · arm

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. track — to keep track
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ball — a great time
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. capital — a city
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ball — a dance
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. ground — the earth
  21. capital — money
  22. club — for dancing
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. club — a group

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