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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: firm · sharp · fine · board · stock · track · pitch · spring

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. spring — the season
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. fine — all right
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. firm — a company
  10. pitch — completely
  11. track — a song
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stock — goods
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. track — to keep track
  18. board — to get on
  19. firm — decided
  20. track — a path
  21. board — a committee
  22. spring — of water
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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