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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · capital · arm · chip · charge · wound · fine · straw

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fine — high quality
  3. hand — help
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. capital — a city
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chip — to eat
  10. charge — a price
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. chip — for betting
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — in control
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fine — all right
  22. wound — an injury
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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