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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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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: sharp · season · capital · bulb · lash · fine · game · kid

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. game — a match
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. kid — child
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. kid — to tease
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. season — of the year
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. fine — high quality
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fine — all right
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. season — in sport
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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