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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fall · content · spring · pitcher · squash · bay · firm · ground

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. content — happy
  7. firm — a company
  8. ground — crushed
  9. squash — the sport
  10. spring — of water
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spring — the season
  14. content — the amount
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. fall — the season
  18. squash — to crush
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. firm — steady
  23. ground — a position
  24. bay — a horse colour

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