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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 · track · race · last · calf · pass · plane · pound

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  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. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. race — humankind
  4. pass — a permit
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. staff — employees
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. plane — a tool
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. staff — employees
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. last — to go on
  23. plane — in geometry
  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