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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: capital · pound · arm · rash · file · deal · stand · temple

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. rash — a series
  9. pound — a weight
  10. file — a document
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. capital — money
  13. deal — to handle
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. capital — a city
  20. file — a tool
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. rash — hasty
  23. file — a line of people
  24. arm — part of the body

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