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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. row — to paddle
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. land — a country
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cap — a lid
  10. track — to keep track
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. deal — to handle
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. row — a line
  18. cap — of ice
  19. track — a song
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. land — ground
  23. last — finally
  24. track — a path

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