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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: ball · track · cell · arm · pound · swing · cap · ground

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. track — a path
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. track — to keep track
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. track — a song
  15. ball — a great time
  16. swing — music
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. ground — a position
  19. swing — in golf
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ground — the earth
  22. swing — to play on
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pound — a weight

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