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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: ruler · arm · toast · cell · content · capital · shower · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. shower — rain
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. content — happy
  12. cell — a phone
  13. capital — a city
  14. cell — in biology
  15. content — the amount
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. capital — money
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. capital — a big letter

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