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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: pound · jam · game · shower · ground · mouse · pop · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pop — to visit
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pop — music
  6. ground — the earth
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. game — a match
  11. ground — a position
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. pop — soda
  17. pound — a weight
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. ground — crushed
  21. shower — rain
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pound — for dogs

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