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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: press · capital · lash · current · fork · season · kick · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. press — to push
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. season — in sport
  6. can — to be able to
  7. kick — in football
  8. current — of water
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. can — a tin
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. current — happening now
  15. press — a publisher
  16. season — of the year
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. current — electric
  21. fork — in a road
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fork — to eat with

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