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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: deal · pitch · mine · sharp · cabinet · row · bound · racket

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. row — a line
  3. sharp — clever
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. racket — a loud noise

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