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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 120 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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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: racket · sharp · chest · arm · pitch · wave · board · straw

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. chest — of your body
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. chest — of your body
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. sharp — clever
  16. board — to get on
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. chest — a box
  21. board — a committee
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. arm — a part of something

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