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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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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: last · staff · fall · game · capital · pound · deal · foot

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pound — a weight
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. last — to go on
  8. game — a match
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. capital — money
  11. staff — employees
  12. deal — to handle
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fall — to drop
  15. last — final
  16. game — wild animals
  17. capital — a city
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. staff — a stick
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. staff — employees
  24. pound — to hit hard

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