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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. land — a country
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. wake — a trail
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. track — a path
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. land — to come down
  15. kick — in football
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rash — a series
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. board — to get on
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. land — ground

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