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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: mate · race · firm · spell · calf · season · pound · track

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. firm — steady
  3. season — in sport
  4. race — the arms race
  5. spell — magic
  6. firm — a company
  7. race — a contest
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pound — a weight
  11. track — a path
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. spell — a short time
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. spell — letters
  21. track — to keep track
  22. firm — decided
  23. track — a song
  24. mate — a partner

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