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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: rush · arm · net · straw · face · club · wound · capital

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. club — for golf
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. net — in sport
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. net — after costs
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wound — an injury
  17. club — a group
  18. capital — a city
  19. net — for catching
  20. wound — an injury
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. face — to confront
  24. capital — money

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