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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. track — a song
  3. ground — a position
  4. land — ground
  5. track — a path
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. charge — a price
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. land — to come down
  18. charge — electricity
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. board — to get on
  23. charge — in control
  24. board — a committee

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