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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: firm · saw · mark · file · land · pop · kick · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. file — a tool
  3. kick — in football
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. firm — decided
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. firm — a company
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pop — music
  14. land — a country
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pop — soda
  19. file — a document
  20. mark — a trace
  21. saw — the tool
  22. firm — steady
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mark — a grade

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