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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: club · current · pound · firm · kid · date · pit · pop

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. current — electric
  4. club — for golf
  5. kid — child
  6. firm — a company
  7. kid — to tease
  8. firm — steady
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pound — a weight
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. current — happening now
  14. pop — to visit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. firm — decided
  17. current — of water
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pit — a hole
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pop — soda
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. date — the fruit
  24. pop — music

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