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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: straw · fan · pitch · bound · deal · board · net · snap

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. board — to get on
  3. bound — obliged
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. net — after costs
  7. snap — to click
  8. board — a committee
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bound — certain
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pitch — completely
  20. deal — to handle
  21. net — in sport
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. net — for catching

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