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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 120 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: lie · bear · arm · cell · capital · rule · bay · cap

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. rule — a law
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rule — government
  8. cap — of ice
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bear — the animal
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cell — a phone
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cell — in biology
  18. capital — a city
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cap — a lid

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