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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ball — a dance
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. track — a path
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fall — the season
  17. ball — a great time
  18. fork — in a road
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. fall — to drop
  21. sharp — clever
  22. track — a song
  23. board — a committee
  24. ball — a round shape

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