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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: ground · craft · saw · roll · arm · mate · court · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. ground — a position
  5. court — of a king
  6. saw — the tool
  7. court — for sport
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. saw — the tool
  12. court — of law
  13. mate — a partner
  14. ground — the earth
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — a list
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mate — to breed
  21. craft — boats
  22. mate — a friend
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. capital — money

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