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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: pound · toast · kick · capital · chest · ground · rash · charge

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. ground — the earth
  4. capital — money
  5. chest — of your body
  6. charge — a price
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. toast — bread
  10. kick — in football
  11. capital — a city
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rash — a series
  15. chest — a box
  16. pound — a weight
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — in control
  22. ground — crushed
  23. rash — hasty
  24. capital — a big letter

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