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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: squash · net · cell · capital · hand · arm · stock · club

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. club — a group
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. stock — goods
  8. capital — a city
  9. hand — in cards
  10. club — for dancing
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cell — a phone
  19. club — for golf
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. net — in sport
  23. capital — money
  24. hand — help

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