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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: ruler · capital · face · key · bark · cold · cap · firm

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. firm — steady
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cold — not warm
  9. key — in music
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. cap — of ice
  12. key — the most important part
  13. capital — a city
  14. key — for a lock
  15. firm — a company
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. firm — decided
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  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