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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: pitch · sharp · straw · roll · wake · board · stick · shower

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wake — a trail
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. sharp — clever
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. roll — a list
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. board — to get on
  19. pitch — completely
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. board — a committee
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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