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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: wound · ball · rash · chair · current · foot · capital · rest

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. capital — money
  5. current — electric
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. current — of water
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. capital — a city
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. current — happening now
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rest — a break
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. foot — a measure
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wound — an injury

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