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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · content · perch · squash · spell · suit · chair · straw

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. squash — the sport
  5. content — the amount
  6. suit — in cards
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. capital — money
  9. spell — magic
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. suit — clothes
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spell — letters
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. spell — a short time
  19. squash — to crush
  20. capital — a city
  21. chair — a leader
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. perch — the fish
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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