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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 116 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: cap · pitcher · capital · rule · lie · club · face · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. capital — money
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. club — for dancing
  6. object — a thing
  7. rule — government
  8. lie — to recline
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. face — to confront
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. club — for golf
  16. capital — a city
  17. club — a group
  18. object — to protest
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. face — to point toward
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rule — a law
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cap — of ice

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