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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: pound · fine · last · drill · foot · capital · rash · spell

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. spell — letters
  4. rash — a series
  5. foot — a measure
  6. fine — all right
  7. drill — army training
  8. last — to go on
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. last — finally
  11. pound — a weight
  12. drill — a practice
  13. spell — magic
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. spell — a short time
  19. capital — money
  20. last — final
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. capital — a city

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