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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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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: pound · track · ground · key · bat · rash · bass · pass

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bass — the fish
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. track — a path
  11. rash — a series
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pass — a permit
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bass — low music
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pound — a weight
  24. rash — on the skin

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