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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. firm — decided
  3. ground — the earth
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. field — for sport
  6. craft — boats
  7. ground — a position
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. field — farmland
  10. firm — a company
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pound — a weight
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. field — a subject
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. firm — steady

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