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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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468
Word bank
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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: safe · track · ground · wound · pound · firm · snap · net

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. snap — to click
  11. ground — crushed
  12. firm — steady
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. wound — an injury
  16. firm — decided
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. firm — a company
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. ground — a position
  23. net — for catching
  24. wound — an injury

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