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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: capital · pound · deal · foot · nail · scale · straw · sharp

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. capital — a city
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. sharp — clever
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. scale — in music
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. foot — a measure
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pound — a weight
  22. deal — to handle
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. foot — the bottom

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