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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: stick · face · capital · cabinet · cap · tear · charge · safe

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cap — a hat
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. face — to point toward
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. charge — electricity
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tear — to rip
  14. charge — a price
  15. cap — a lid
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. tear — from crying
  18. capital — a city
  19. tear — from crying
  20. capital — money
  21. cap — of ice
  22. face — part of the head
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. charge — in control

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