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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
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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: lie · race · capital · content · season · hide · fine · staff

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. season — in sport
  3. content — happy
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. capital — money
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. staff — employees
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. fine — high quality
  11. race — humankind
  12. capital — a city
  13. lie — to recline
  14. staff — employees
  15. race — the arms race
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. race — a contest
  18. season — of the year
  19. fine — all right
  20. content — the amount
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. staff — a stick
  24. lie — an untruth

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