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

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. firm — steady
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. firm — a company
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. net — after costs
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. date — the fruit
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. net — in sport
  20. ground — a position
  21. net — for catching
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. firm — decided

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