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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: staff · track · pound · capital · rest · season · deal · kid

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. track — a path
  5. staff — employees
  6. deal — to handle
  7. capital — a city
  8. rest — a break
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. track — a song
  11. season — of the year
  12. kid — to tease
  13. staff — employees
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rest — what's left
  16. staff — a stick
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. season — in sport
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. capital — money
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. season — to add flavour

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