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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: squash · ground · drill · bank · sharp · firm · clip · net

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bank — for money
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. net — after costs
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. net — in sport
  7. bank — for money
  8. squash — to crush
  9. drill — army training
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. squash — the sport
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — steady
  15. clip — a video
  16. net — for catching
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. sharp — clever
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bank — of a river
  21. ground — a position
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. drill — a practice

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