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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mark — a grade
  4. snap — to click
  5. board — a committee
  6. bank — of a river
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. track — to keep track
  10. shower — rain
  11. bank — for money
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. board — to get on
  14. land — to come down
  15. track — a song
  16. land — ground
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bank — for money
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mark — a trace
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. land — a country
  23. mine — for digging
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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