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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.

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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: sharp · content · capital · rule · band · lash · ground · staff

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. content — happy
  4. capital — a city
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. rule — government
  8. staff — employees
  9. rule — a law
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. ground — the earth
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. band — a ring
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. sharp — clever
  18. capital — money
  19. band — a music group
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. staff — a stick
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. staff — employees

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