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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 120 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: race · pitcher · sharp · firm · mouse · dip · pound · wind

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. firm — steady
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. firm — decided
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. race — humankind
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. firm — a company
  21. race — a contest
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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