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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. scale — size or range
  10. track — a song
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. scale — in music
  20. ground — a position
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. track — a path
  24. lash — to lash out

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