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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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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: drill · firm · squash · mug · jam · ground · land · fork

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. firm — a company
  4. mug — a cup
  5. land — ground
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. land — a country
  9. fork — in a road
  10. firm — decided
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ground — the earth
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mug — a face
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. drill — a practice
  19. land — to come down
  20. squash — the sport
  21. firm — steady
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. mug — to rob
  24. fork — to eat with

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