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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 120 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: foot · court · wind · last · mouse · capital · branch · charge

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. court — for sport
  3. last — finally
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. charge — electricity
  8. last — final
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. charge — a price
  16. last — to go on
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. charge — in control
  19. court — of law
  20. capital — a city
  21. wind — moving air
  22. court — of a king
  23. foot — a measure
  24. mouse — the animal

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