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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: foot · staff · capital · hand · saw · rash · track · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. capital — money
  4. track — a path
  5. capital — a city
  6. rash — a series
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. saw — the tool
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. hand — in cards
  13. staff — a stick
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. saw — the tool
  16. track — a song
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. staff — employees
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. hand — help
  22. rash — hasty
  23. staff — employees
  24. track — to keep track

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