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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: face · cap · roll · dip · bear · capital · deal · coach

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. cap — a lid
  3. capital — a city
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. face — part of the head
  11. deal — to handle
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. face — to confront
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cap — of ice
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cap — a hat
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. roll — a list
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. dip — to sink
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bear — the animal

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