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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: lie · lash · pitch · straw · capital · racket · board · tear

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. tear — from crying
  7. board — to get on
  8. capital — a city
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. tear — from crying
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pitch — completely
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. capital — money
  24. board — a committee

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