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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.

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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: lash · jam · cabinet · net · rest · capital · snap · fine

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rest — what's left
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. snap — to click
  9. capital — money
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. fine — all right
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. net — after costs
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fine — high quality
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. rest — a break
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. jam — in traffic

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