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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: chip · pound · bat · ground · current · drill · bear · scale

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. current — happening now
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. drill — a practice
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. chip — for betting
  14. current — of water
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. current — electric
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. scale — in music
  23. bear — the animal
  24. scale — size or range

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