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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: board · firm · arm · chest · pitch · row · snap · season

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pitch — completely
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. row — to paddle
  8. board — to get on
  9. firm — steady
  10. season — of the year
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. board — a committee
  16. row — a line
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. chest — of your body
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. snap — to click
  22. chest — a box
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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