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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · present · land · stem · hide · rule · squash · track

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. present — the time now
  3. land — a country
  4. rule — a law
  5. present — a gift
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. track — a path
  8. squash — to crush
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. game — a match
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. present — there
  19. rule — government
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. stem — to come from
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. squash — the sport
  24. track — a song

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