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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. track — a path
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. land — to come down
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. snap — to click
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. board — to get on
  11. land — ground
  12. row — a line
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. chair — a leader
  15. board — a committee
  16. track — a song
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. fork — in a road
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. track — to keep track
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. row — to paddle

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