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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: capital · bowl · key · ground · swing · fall · net · arm

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. capital — money
  2. net — in sport
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. ground — the earth
  5. key — in music
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. swing — to play on
  9. fall — the season
  10. ground — a position
  11. swing — in golf
  12. fall — to drop
  13. key — the most important part
  14. net — after costs
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. capital — a city
  19. ground — crushed
  20. swing — music
  21. net — for catching
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. key — for a lock
  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