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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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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: sharp · squash · drill · lie · ground · firm · stand · file

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. firm — a company
  6. file — a line of people
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. file — a tool
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. squash — the sport
  11. file — a document
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. squash — to crush
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. ground — the earth
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. drill — the tool
  21. sharp — clever
  22. ground — a position
  23. firm — decided
  24. lie — to recline

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