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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 · rock · deal · ground · content · staff · shower · chip

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. ground — a position
  3. staff — employees
  4. content — the amount
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. shower — to wash
  12. staff — employees
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. chip — for betting
  15. track — a song
  16. shower — rain
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. deal — to handle
  20. content — happy
  21. track — a path
  22. chip — to eat
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. staff — a stick

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