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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: track · safe · stock · bass · chest · ground · pound · date

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bass — low music
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. date — the fruit
  6. chest — a box
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. stock — shares
  11. chest — of your body
  12. track — a path
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. track — to keep track
  16. chest — of your body
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. track — a song
  24. stock — goods

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