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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: calf · lie · squash · ground · saw · cold · racket · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. squash — the sport
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. ground — a position
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. firm — decided
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. ground — crushed
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lie — to recline
  16. firm — steady
  17. saw — the tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cold — not warm
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. cold — an illness
  23. ground — the earth
  24. squash — to crush

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