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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: rule · capital · chip · vault · firm · cold · arm · pop

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. cold — an illness
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pop — music
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pop — to visit
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rule — government
  13. pop — soda
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cold — not warm
  16. vault — a safe
  17. chip — for betting
  18. rule — a law
  19. chip — to eat
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. capital — money
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — decided

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