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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 · suit · race · cap · toast · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. cap — a hat
  6. suit — clothes
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. suit — in cards
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. face — to point toward
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. toast — bread
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. suit — to fit
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. race — the arms race

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