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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 116 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: wake · track · nail · cabinet · rule · bat · land · rock

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wake — a trail
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. land — to come down
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rule — a law
  13. rock — a stone
  14. track — a path
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bat — the animal
  17. land — ground
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. land — a country
  20. rock — music
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rock — to move gently

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