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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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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: pound · ball · safe · pitch · sharp · hand · band · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. hand — help
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pitch — completely
  8. band — a ring
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. firm — decided
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pound — a weight
  20. ball — a great time
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. band — a music group
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. sharp — exactly

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