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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 · mate · deal · season · arm · snap · content · track

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. content — the amount
  3. track — to keep track
  4. season — in sport
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mate — a partner
  8. capital — money
  9. track — a path
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. deal — to handle
  14. snap — to click
  15. track — a song
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. capital — a city
  18. mate — a friend
  19. season — of the year
  20. mate — to breed
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. content — happy

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