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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 116 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 · racket · staff · pitch · lean · fan · coach · sharp

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. pitch — completely
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. staff — employees
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. staff — a stick
  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