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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 · racket · pound · prune · bass · mine · firm · sharp

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. firm — steady
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bass — low music
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mine — for digging
  18. firm — a company
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. firm — decided
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pound — a weight
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bass — the fish

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