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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. spell — a short time
  3. land — a country
  4. roll — a list
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. chest — a box
  7. court — of law
  8. board — a committee
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. spell — magic
  11. chest — of your body
  12. track — a song
  13. land — to come down
  14. court — of a king
  15. roll — a cake
  16. land — ground
  17. spell — letters
  18. stem — to come from
  19. court — for sport
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. chest — of your body
  24. roll — on a roll

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