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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. current — electric
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. track — to keep track
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. pop — to visit
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. track — a path
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pound — a weight
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. drill — army training
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. content — happy
  18. current — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. content — the amount
  24. drill — the 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