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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 120 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  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. board — a committee
  2. track — a path
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rule — government
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cap — a hat
  11. degree — from a university
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. squash — to crush
  14. land — to come down
  15. degree — temperature
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. land — ground
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rule — a law
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rush — a thrill
  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