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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: shower · suit · firm · ground · bay · hand · field · calf

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. field — for sport
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. suit — to fit
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. ground — a position
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. suit — clothes
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. field — a subject
  18. firm — a company
  19. hand — in cards
  20. field — farmland
  21. firm — decided
  22. hand — help
  23. firm — steady
  24. ground — the earth

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