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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: mug · straw · game · racket · coach · sharp · lash · squash

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. game — a match
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. squash — the sport
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. squash — to crush
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mug — a face
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. game — wild animals

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