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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: deal · kid · row · rash · foot · calf · capital · ball

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. deal — to handle
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. ball — a dance
  13. row — to paddle
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. row — a line
  18. capital — a city
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. kid — to tease
  22. ball — a great time
  23. capital — money
  24. rash — a series

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