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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. track — a path
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. mine — for digging
  6. board — a committee
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. march — music
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. march — the month
  16. lean — to bend
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. foot — a measure
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. track — a song
  21. march — the month
  22. board — to get on
  23. track — to keep track
  24. lean — thin

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