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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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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: race · mine · march · fork · staff · track · pound · calf

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — humankind
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. staff — employees
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. race — a contest
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. march — the month
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pound — a weight
  13. track — a song
  14. staff — employees
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fork — in a road
  24. calf — of the leg

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