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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: wind · lash · staff · suit · court · straw · chip · capital

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. staff — employees
  7. capital — a city
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. court — of law
  10. suit — to fit
  11. staff — employees
  12. chip — to eat
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. capital — money
  18. suit — in cards
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wind — moving air
  21. suit — clothes
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. straw — a straw man

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