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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 116 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
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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: net · key · court · lash · nail · tear · content · season

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. court — of a king
  3. season — of the year
  4. tear — from crying
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. tear — from crying
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. season — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. key — in music
  11. court — for sport
  12. net — in sport
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. net — for catching
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. key — the most important part
  19. court — of law
  20. content — the amount
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. tear — to rip
  24. key — for a lock

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