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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. craft — a skill
  3. land — ground
  4. track — a song
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. land — a country
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. present — the time now
  11. track — to keep track
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. craft — boats
  14. capital — money
  15. board — to get on
  16. present — there
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. land — to come down
  20. lean — thin
  21. board — a committee
  22. lean — to bend
  23. present — a gift
  24. capital — a city

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