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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 · face · row · cap · stem · deal · firm · present

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. cap — a lid
  3. firm — decided
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. present — the time now
  6. cap — a hat
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cap — of ice
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. capital — money
  11. present — a gift
  12. firm — a company
  13. stem — to come from
  14. capital — a city
  15. firm — steady
  16. present — there
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. deal — to handle
  19. row — to paddle
  20. face — part of the head
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. row — a line

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