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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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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: mug · wind · wound · firm · content · ground · net · ball

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mug — a face
  5. net — after costs
  6. wound — an injury
  7. firm — a company
  8. wind — moving air
  9. firm — steady
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wind — moving air
  13. firm — decided
  14. ground — a position
  15. wound — an injury
  16. content — the amount
  17. net — for catching
  18. mug — a cup
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mug — to rob
  21. net — in sport
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. content — happy

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