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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: ground · field · lie · sharp · firm · pop · shower · mate

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. field — a subject
  6. shower — rain
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. firm — decided
  10. ground — the earth
  11. firm — steady
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. mate — a partner
  15. ground — a position
  16. mate — to breed
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. field — farmland
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. firm — a company
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pop — soda
  23. field — for sport
  24. sharp — with an edge

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