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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: file · capital · bound · bear · cap · rule · content · key

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bound — obliged
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. file — a line of people
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bound — certain
  14. file — a tool
  15. content — the amount
  16. rule — government
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cap — a hat
  19. key — in music
  20. file — a document
  21. key — the most important part
  22. content — happy
  23. rule — a law
  24. key — for a lock

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