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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: racket · hand · pitch · sharp · jam · date · rush · deal

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. hand — help
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hand — in cards
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. sharp — clever
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rush — hurry
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. deal — to handle
  21. date — the fruit
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. jam — in traffic

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