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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: capital · net · pop · deal · season · bay · perch · rule

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. capital — money
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. net — for catching
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. rule — a law
  15. season — in sport
  16. net — in sport
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — soda
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. pop — music
  21. capital — a city
  22. net — after costs
  23. perch — the fish
  24. season — of the year

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