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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. charge — electricity
  3. squash — to crush
  4. board — to get on
  5. file — a line of people
  6. land — to come down
  7. file — a document
  8. track — a path
  9. charge — in control
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. land — ground
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. rush — hurry
  14. board — a committee
  15. squash — the sport
  16. file — a tool
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. net — after costs
  19. charge — a price
  20. net — for catching
  21. track — to keep track
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. net — in sport
  24. land — a country

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