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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rush — hurry
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. track — a song
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. staff — a stick
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. board — to get on
  13. bulb — for light
  14. staff — employees
  15. track — to keep track
  16. staff — employees
  17. drill — army training
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. board — a committee
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. board — a flat piece

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