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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. firm — a company
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — the earth
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pop — to visit
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pop — music
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. court — of a king
  12. pop — soda
  13. squash — the sport
  14. firm — decided
  15. ground — a position
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. squash — to crush
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mine — for digging
  21. court — of law
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. court — for sport

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