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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: suit · fork · coach · racket · firm · lash · last · straw

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. last — to go on
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. suit — in cards
  8. last — finally
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. last — final
  12. suit — to fit
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. firm — a company
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. firm — decided
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. suit — clothes
  23. fork — in a road
  24. straw — dry grass

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