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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: foot · capital · hand · bear · march · charge · swing · ground

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. swing — to play on
  3. charge — electricity
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. ground — a position
  9. swing — in golf
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. charge — in control
  13. bear — the animal
  14. foot — a measure
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. hand — in cards
  17. march — music
  18. charge — a price
  19. march — the month
  20. capital — a city
  21. bear — the animal
  22. swing — music
  23. capital — money
  24. bear — to put up with

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