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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. rush — hurry
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. track — a song
  14. dip — to sink
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. cap — of ice
  17. board — to get on
  18. band — a music group
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. board — a committee
  21. band — a ring
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wind — moving air

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