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

Word bank: bay · face · pound · ground · deal · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. ground — a position
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. drill — a practice
  11. face — to confront
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. face — to point toward
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. face — part of the head
  18. deal — to handle

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