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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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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: racket · prune · straw · face · coach · content · row · kick

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. face — to point toward
  4. row — a line
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — in football
  11. row — to paddle
  12. content — happy
  13. face — part of the head
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. content — the amount
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. prune — to trim
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. face — to confront

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