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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. face — to point toward
  3. track — a song
  4. sharp — clever
  5. drill — army training
  6. firm — a company
  7. chip — for betting
  8. land — to come down
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pound — a weight
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — decided
  17. chip — to eat
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. drill — the tool
  22. face — to confront
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pound — to hit hard

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