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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 120 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: track · mine · drill · land · wake · cap · chip · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. land — a country
  3. drill — army training
  4. mine — for digging
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — to eat
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cap — of ice
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cap — a lid
  12. land — to come down
  13. drill — the tool
  14. board — to get on
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. land — ground
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wake — before a funeral

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