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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 120 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: safe · pitcher · wind · firm · sharp · content · pound · ground

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. firm — a company
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. firm — steady
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wind — moving air
  13. content — happy
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. firm — decided
  16. ground — crushed
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. ground — a position
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pound — for dogs

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