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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 120 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pop — soda
  3. board — a committee
  4. track — a path
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. face — to confront
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. pop — to visit
  11. face — part of the head
  12. track — a song
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — to get on
  15. pop — music
  16. rule — a law
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rule — government

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