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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bound — tied together
  3. track — a song
  4. pass — a permit
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. land — to come down
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — a cake
  12. land — a country
  13. rule — government
  14. board — to get on
  15. track — a path
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rule — a law
  19. bound — certain
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. board — a committee
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rule — to rule out

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