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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. drill — the tool
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. track — a song
  10. season — of the year
  11. drill — army training
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lean — to bend
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. stand — to bear
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — thin
  20. drill — a practice
  21. land — ground
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. season — in sport

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