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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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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: arm · bowl · chip · board · foot · coach · fall · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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 — a city
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fall — to drop
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. chip — to eat
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. capital — money
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. board — a committee
  13. fall — the season
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. board — to get on
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fall — to drop
  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