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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 116 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: chair · firm · spring · sharp · cue · deal · racket · pitch

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. spring — a coil
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. firm — decided
  6. cue — a hint
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chair — a leader
  12. firm — steady
  13. spring — the season
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cue — a signal
  19. sharp — clever
  20. cue — for pool
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. spring — of water
  24. deal — a big deal

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