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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: row · club · bat · current · pound · object · track · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. track — a path
  4. object — an aim
  5. current — electric
  6. current — of water
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. object — to protest
  14. club — a group
  15. object — a thing
  16. row — a line
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — a weight
  19. track — a song
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. club — for golf
  22. current — happening now
  23. bat — the animal
  24. row — to paddle

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