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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: spell · pass · nail · capital · fine · content · season · clip

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. season — in sport
  3. fine — high quality
  4. content — happy
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. capital — money
  7. clip — a video
  8. content — the amount
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. fine — all right
  11. spell — magic
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. spell — letters
  14. clip — for paper
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pass — a permit
  17. capital — a city
  18. spell — a short time
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. clip — to cut
  22. season — of the year
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. fine — a penalty

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