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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — to get on
  4. field — farmland
  5. capital — money
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. capital — a city
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. pass — a permit
  16. track — a path
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. track — a song
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wind — moving air
  24. board — a committee

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