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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: hide · fall · drill · sharp · lean · jam · board · track

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lean — to bend
  4. board — a committee
  5. fall — to drop
  6. drill — a practice
  7. track — a path
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. track — a song
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. board — to get on
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. fall — the season
  17. track — to keep track
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. drill — army training
  22. lean — thin
  23. drill — the tool
  24. jam — in traffic

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