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

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. ground — a position
  3. shower — rain
  4. firm — steady
  5. spell — letters
  6. firm — a company
  7. ground — the earth
  8. content — the amount
  9. ground — crushed
  10. foot — a measure
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. content — happy
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stand — to bear
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. season — in sport
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. season — of the year
  22. spell — magic
  23. firm — decided
  24. spell — a short time

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