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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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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: net · trunk · board · pitch · last · straw · wax · game

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. board — to get on
  3. net — in sport
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. game — wild animals
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. last — final
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. last — to go on
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. board — a committee
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. net — after costs
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. last — finally
  20. wax — to grow
  21. net — for catching
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. pitch — a sports field

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