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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: cap · band · ground · face · vault · mug · capital · date

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. face — to point toward
  4. capital — money
  5. face — to confront
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cap — of ice
  10. vault — a safe
  11. band — a music group
  12. ground — crushed
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. face — part of the head
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. capital — a city
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. date — the fruit
  22. cap — a lid
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. date — on the calendar

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