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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — a path
  4. land — a country
  5. shower — to wash
  6. board — to get on
  7. field — for sport
  8. track — a song
  9. field — a subject
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. field — farmland
  12. track — to keep track
  13. board — a committee
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. shower — rain
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lean — to bend
  21. land — ground
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. land — to come down

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