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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 · foot · capital · hand · rash · last · charge · safe

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. last — finally
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. charge — in control
  8. last — to go on
  9. foot — a measure
  10. hand — help
  11. rash — a series
  12. charge — a price
  13. rash — hasty
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. hand — in cards
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. capital — money
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. last — final
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. deal — a big deal

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