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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: pop · lean · lie · net · board · straw · pitcher · coach

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. board — a committee
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. net — in sport
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. lie — to recline
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pop — soda
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lean — to bend
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. board — to get on
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. lean — thin
  24. pop — music

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