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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: mug · face · straw · racket · arm · last · capital · coach

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mug — a face
  4. capital — money
  5. face — part of the head
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. last — finally
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mug — to rob
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. last — final
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mug — a cup
  24. last — to go on

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