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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. file — a line of people
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. land — a country
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. scale — in music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. land — to come down
  9. fall — the season
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. track — a path
  13. root — of a word
  14. rest — what's left
  15. file — a tool
  16. scale — size or range
  17. track — a song
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. fall — to drop
  21. land — ground
  22. file — a document
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fall — to drop

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