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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. row — a line
  4. firm — decided
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. field — farmland
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. firm — steady
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — crushed
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. ground — the earth
  17. row — to paddle
  18. firm — a company
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. craft — boats
  21. sharp — clever
  22. drill — a practice
  23. craft — a skill
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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