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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.

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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: temple · straw · coach · lash · capital · pitch · shower · board

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pitch — completely
  8. board — a committee
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. shower — to wash
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. shower — rain
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. temple — side of the head

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