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

Word bank: nail · firm · perch · cell · kid · squash · lie · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. firm — decided
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cell — a phone
  8. ground — the earth
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. lie — to recline
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. squash — the sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — steady
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cell — in biology
  19. ground — crushed
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. kid — child
  24. perch — for a bird

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