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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: clip · track · land · last · jam · saw · board · safe

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. last — to go on
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. land — to come down
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. board — to get on
  8. clip — for paper
  9. land — a country
  10. last — finally
  11. clip — to cut
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. last — final
  14. board — a committee
  15. track — a song
  16. track — a path
  17. land — ground
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. clip — a video
  22. track — to keep track
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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