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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: fork · ground · mark · track · swing · pound · plane · racket

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. track — to keep track
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pound — a weight
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. swing — in golf
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fork — in a road
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mark — a grade
  16. swing — music
  17. track — a song
  18. swing — to play on
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. racket — for tennis

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