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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fall — to drop
  4. land — a country
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. land — ground
  7. chip — for betting
  8. fall — to drop
  9. date — the fruit
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bass — the fish
  15. sharp — clever
  16. land — to come down
  17. bass — low music
  18. fall — the season
  19. chip — to eat
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. track — a song

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