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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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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: snap · capital · cap · perch · chair · season · cabinet · deal

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. capital — a city
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cap — a lid
  9. deal — to handle
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cap — a hat
  12. chair — a leader
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cap — of ice
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. capital — money
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. season — in sport
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. snap — to click

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