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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: season · firm · fan · ground · present · mark · squash · face

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. face — to point toward
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. squash — the sport
  5. present — there
  6. ground — a position
  7. firm — a company
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. season — in sport
  11. ground — the earth
  12. present — the time now
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ground — crushed
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mark — a grade
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. face — to confront
  22. present — a gift
  23. firm — steady
  24. season — of the year

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