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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · fall · staff · kid · foot · track · roll · pop

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  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. roll — a list
  3. track — to keep track
  4. fall — to drop
  5. kid — to tease
  6. board — to get on
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. fall — to drop
  12. staff — employees
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. staff — a stick
  16. roll — a cake
  17. kid — child
  18. pop — to visit
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fall — the season
  21. board — a committee
  22. staff — employees
  23. board — a flat piece
  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