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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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Word bank
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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: firm · pound · bay · squash · hand · safe · land · ground

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. land — ground
  6. firm — steady
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. pound — a weight
  9. hand — in cards
  10. land — a country
  11. firm — decided
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. land — to come down
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. hand — help
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ground — crushed
  19. squash — to crush
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. squash — the vegetable

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