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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: pop · bay · cue · board · nail · chest · sharp · pitch

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cue — a signal
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. board — a committee
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pitch — completely
  14. cue — for pool
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chest — of your body

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