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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mark — a grade
  4. fork — in a road
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. track — a path
  7. drill — army training
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wind — moving air
  13. board — to get on
  14. mark — a trace
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. track — a song
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. board — a committee
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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