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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: bass · sharp · fan · club · arm · pitch · toast · capital

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. club — for dancing
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a city
  6. pitch — completely
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. sharp — clever
  15. capital — money
  16. toast — bread
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bass — the fish
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. fan — a supporter

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