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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pass · kick · capital · staff · bore · track · last · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. bore — to tire
  3. capital — a city
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pass — a permit
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. last — to go on
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. staff — employees
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. last — finally
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bore — to drill
  20. last — final
  21. staff — employees
  22. kick — in football
  23. capital — money
  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