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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: chair · lean · nail · capital · sharp · game · foot · mug

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. sharp — clever
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mug — to rob
  6. foot — a measure
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. lean — thin
  11. mug — a face
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. game — a match
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. lean — to bend
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chair — a leader
  23. capital — a city
  24. mug — a cup

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