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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 120 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: season · content · cap · march · foot · arm · race · staff

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. season — in sport
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. cap — of ice
  5. race — the arms race
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. staff — employees
  8. season — of the year
  9. race — a contest
  10. march — the month
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. race — humankind
  16. content — the amount
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. foot — a measure
  20. march — music
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. march — the month
  23. content — happy
  24. foot — 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