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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. track — a song
  5. press — to push
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rash — a series
  12. roll — a cake
  13. board — a committee
  14. rash — hasty
  15. track — a path
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — a publisher
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. board — to get on
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fan — to cool the air

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