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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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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: can · coach · game · race · lash · toast · bat · straw

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. can — a tin
  4. race — humankind
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. game — a match
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. can — a tin
  9. race — a contest
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. game — wild animals
  15. toast — bread
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. can — to be able to
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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