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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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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: mark · pound · ground · club · bat · bore · pop · date

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. ground — a position
  3. pop — soda
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. club — a group
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pound — a weight
  9. mark — a grade
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. pop — music
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. club — for golf
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. club — for dancing
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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