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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: chip · mine · firm · board · perch · last · rush · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. board — a committee
  6. chip — to eat
  7. firm — a company
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. firm — steady
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rush — hurry
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. firm — decided
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. last — finally
  23. board — to get on
  24. chip — for betting

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