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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
468
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: capital · ruler · pitch · straw · rush · march · coach · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. lash — to lash out
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pitch — completely
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. march — music
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. capital — a city
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. march — the month
  21. capital — money
  22. march — the month
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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