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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · season · wind · wound · firm · fork · pitcher · racket

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  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 — decided
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. firm — a company
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. season — in sport
  9. wound — an injury
  10. sharp — clever
  11. firm — steady
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wind — moving air
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. season — of the year
  23. fork — in a road
  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