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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: current · content · ground · fork · track · spring · deal · bat

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bat — the animal
  10. spring — the season
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — to handle
  13. ground — a position
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. ground — the earth
  16. spring — of water
  17. track — to keep track
  18. current — of water
  19. fork — in a road
  20. ground — crushed
  21. content — happy
  22. track — a song
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. content — the amount

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