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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: straw · coach · bark · mate · sharp · squash · face · mug

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mate — a friend
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bark — to shout
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mate — to breed
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. face — to confront
  19. mug — a cup
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mate — a partner
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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