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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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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: wind · arm · pitch · file · firm · racket · press · deal

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pitch — completely
  4. firm — steady
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wind — moving air
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. firm — a company
  12. wind — moving air
  13. file — a line of people
  14. firm — decided
  15. file — a document
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. press — to push
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. file — a tool

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