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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.

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: fine · racket · content · saw · season · hand · capital · lash

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. season — in sport
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. capital — money
  5. fine — high quality
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. fine — all right
  8. hand — in cards
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. content — the amount
  12. capital — a city
  13. content — happy
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. hand — help
  24. lash — to lash out

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