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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ground — the earth
  3. suit — to fit
  4. shower — to wash
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — decided
  7. field — a subject
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. ball — a dance
  10. firm — a company
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. wound — an injury
  14. band — a ring
  15. shower — rain
  16. suit — clothes
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. ground — crushed
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. band — a music group
  23. suit — in cards
  24. ground — a position

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