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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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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: row · file · ground · lean · temple · arm · capital · kid

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. lean — thin
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. file — a document
  6. kid — to tease
  7. capital — money
  8. row — a line
  9. kid — child
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. capital — a city
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. ground — a position
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ground — crushed
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. lean — to bend
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. file — a tool
  23. ground — the earth
  24. file — a line of people

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