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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. plane — a tool
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. deal — to handle
  7. net — in sport
  8. board — a committee
  9. bear — the animal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. capital — money
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. board — to get on
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. net — for catching
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. capital — a city
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. net — after costs
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. land — to come down

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