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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: foot · mark · staff · race · rush · pound · saw · last

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. rush — hurry
  6. race — humankind
  7. mark — a trace
  8. last — finally
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — a weight
  12. last — to go on
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. mark — a grade
  16. foot — a measure
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. saw — the tool
  20. last — final
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. race — a contest
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. saw — the tool

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