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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: bat · capital · arm · suit · board · chip · sharp · bark

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. capital — money
  3. suit — clothes
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. board — to get on
  8. suit — in cards
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bark — to shout
  12. chip — to eat
  13. sharp — clever
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. capital — a city
  17. board — a committee
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. suit — to fit
  24. arm — part of the 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