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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: straw · capital · squash · season · lash · bowl · nail · sharp

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. squash — to crush
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. sharp — clever
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. capital — money
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. capital — a city

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