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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. ground — the earth
  4. firm — steady
  5. field — for sport
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. field — a subject
  11. pit — in a race
  12. ground — crushed
  13. firm — a company
  14. squash — the sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pit — a hole
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. ground — a position
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. prune — to trim

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