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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: ground · file · firm · rash · fall · hide · field · ball

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. field — for sport
  3. ground — a position
  4. firm — a company
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. firm — steady
  7. rash — hasty
  8. ground — the earth
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. file — a document
  14. firm — decided
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. field — a subject
  18. ground — crushed
  19. fall — to drop
  20. field — farmland
  21. fall — the season
  22. file — a line of people
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. file — a tool

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