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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: roll · row · face · firm · mug · patient · capital · key

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. firm — decided
  3. capital — money
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mug — to rob
  7. face — to confront
  8. row — a line
  9. face — part of the head
  10. roll — a cake
  11. firm — a company
  12. key — in music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mug — a cup
  15. face — to point toward
  16. firm — steady
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. row — to paddle
  19. key — for a lock
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mug — a face
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. key — the most important part
  24. capital — a city

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