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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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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: bark · march · arm · firm · scale · capital · rule · chip

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  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. scale — in music
  2. march — music
  3. capital — a city
  4. firm — a company
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. capital — money
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. rule — a law
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. chip — for betting
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. scale — size or range
  16. chip — to eat
  17. rule — government
  18. bark — to shout
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. march — the month
  21. firm — decided
  22. march — the month
  23. firm — steady
  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