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

Word bank: board · firm · jam · present · track · land · fall · last

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. last — finally
  3. board — a committee
  4. land — to come down
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. fall — to drop
  7. firm — decided
  8. board — to get on
  9. present — there
  10. track — to keep track
  11. land — a country
  12. present — the time now
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. last — final
  16. firm — steady
  17. track — a path
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. land — ground
  20. last — to go on
  21. track — a song
  22. firm — a company
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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