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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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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 · net · fork · coach · staff · snap · pitch · race

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. snap — to click
  3. net — after costs
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. firm — steady
  6. race — the arms race
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. pitch — completely
  10. race — humankind
  11. firm — decided
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. staff — employees
  14. firm — a company
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — in sport
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. staff — a stick
  23. fork — in a road
  24. race — a contest

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