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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wake — a trail
  3. track — a song
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cell — a phone
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. board — to get on
  10. cell — in biology
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. tear — to rip
  15. track — a path
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bear — the animal

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