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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 · ground · foot · sharp · march · deal · shower · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. foot — a measure
  3. shower — to wash
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. march — the month
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. track — a path
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. current — electric
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. track — a song
  16. sharp — clever
  17. ground — a position
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. march — the month
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. shower — rain
  22. deal — to handle
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. march — 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