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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: pop · sharp · content · firm · coach · squash · nail · ground

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. firm — decided
  3. content — the amount
  4. ground — a position
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pop — music
  7. content — happy
  8. squash — the sport
  9. firm — a company
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. ground — the earth
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ground — crushed
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pop — soda
  17. firm — steady
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pop — to visit
  22. sharp — clever
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. coach — a trainer

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