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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.

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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: racket · content · bay · lash · mark · spring · can · cap

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cap — a hat
  4. content — happy
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. content — the amount
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. can — a tin
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. spring — the season
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mark — a trace
  14. spring — of water
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. can — a tin
  18. cap — of ice
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mark — a grade
  21. spring — a coil
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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