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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rock — music
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rash — a series
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rash — hasty
  18. land — to come down
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. land — ground
  22. track — a path
  23. land — a country
  24. wound — an injury

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