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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: hand · charge · ruler · capital · foot · straw

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. 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 — money
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. charge — a price
  6. hand — help
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. capital — a city
  9. hand — in cards
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. charge — electricity
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. charge — in control
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. foot — a measure
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. 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