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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: snap · ground · season · drill · lean · firm · mark · board

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. drill — the tool
  3. ground — crushed
  4. board — to get on
  5. firm — decided
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ground — a position
  8. snap — to click
  9. mark — a grade
  10. firm — steady
  11. lean — thin
  12. drill — a practice
  13. season — of the year
  14. drill — army training
  15. lean — to bend
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mark — a trace
  19. season — in sport
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. firm — a company
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. ground — the earth

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