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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: drill · land · track · rush · chest · safe · ruler · season

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. drill — a practice
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. drill — the tool
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. chest — of your body
  9. land — to come down
  10. chest — a box
  11. season — in sport
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. land — ground
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. rush — hurry
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. track — a song
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. track — a path
  23. drill — army training
  24. track — to keep track

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