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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: coach · clip · sharp · content · lie · stick · season · capital

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. capital — a city
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. content — happy
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. lie — to recline
  11. sharp — clever
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. clip — a video
  19. content — the amount
  20. clip — for paper
  21. capital — money
  22. season — of the year
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. content — videos and posts

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