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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: press · land · safe · track · ground · leaves · mark · sharp

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. land — ground
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. land — to come down
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. sharp — clever
  8. press — newspapers
  9. ground — a position
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ground — the earth
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. land — a country
  15. press — to push
  16. mark — a grade
  17. ground — crushed
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mark — a trace
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. safe — out of danger

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