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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. capital — a city
  5. content — happy
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wake — a trail
  8. band — a music group
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rest — a break
  13. content — the amount
  14. season — in sport
  15. rest — what's left
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. rest — what's left
  19. band — a ring
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. capital — money
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lie — to recline
  24. can — to be able to

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