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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: content · coach · mug · march · pound · lie · straw · lash

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. march — the month
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. content — happy
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. content — the amount
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. mug — a face
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. march — the month
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a cup
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pound — a weight
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. march — music

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