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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: pitch · spring · nail · chair · band · hide · firm · rest

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. firm — a company
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. spring — a coil
  6. firm — decided
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. spring — the season
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rest — what's left
  15. band — a music group
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rest — a break
  19. pitch — completely
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. spring — of water
  22. rest — what's left
  23. band — a ring
  24. firm — steady

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