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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 116 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: track · ground · swing · file · spring · race · cue · calf

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cue — a hint
  3. ground — crushed
  4. file — a document
  5. spring — the season
  6. swing — music
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. track — to keep track
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — the arms race
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. file — a line of people
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cue — a signal
  18. spring — of water
  19. track — a song
  20. swing — to play on
  21. race — a contest
  22. swing — in golf
  23. spring — a coil
  24. file — a 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