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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: staff · pound · hide · pitcher · track · file · stick · race

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. race — the arms race
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. file — a tool
  10. track — a path
  11. staff — a stick
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. race — a contest
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. file — a line of people
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. track — a song
  22. file — a document
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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