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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: can · staff · track · swing · race · file · bat · land

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. staff — a stick
  3. race — a contest
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — music
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. race — the arms race
  8. staff — employees
  9. can — a tin
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. track — a path
  12. land — a country
  13. bat — the animal
  14. can — a tin
  15. file — a tool
  16. swing — to play on
  17. race — humankind
  18. staff — employees
  19. file — a line of people
  20. land — to come down
  21. track — to keep track
  22. land — ground
  23. file — a document
  24. track — a song

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