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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 120 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: suit · capital · snap · trunk · clip · sharp · season · temple

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. capital — a city
  5. suit — clothes
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. sharp — clever
  9. season — in sport
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. suit — to fit
  14. capital — money
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. clip — to cut
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. suit — in cards
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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