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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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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. land — a country
  2. board — a committee
  3. land — ground
  4. bass — low music
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. track — to keep track
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. track — a path
  10. tube — a container
  11. board — to get on
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. land — to come down
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wake — a trail
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bass — the fish
  22. tube — the underground
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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