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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: ground · toast · fall · drill · pop · rock · board · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. rock — a stone
  3. land — to come down
  4. rock — music
  5. fall — the season
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. drill — the tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. ground — crushed
  10. board — to get on
  11. ground — a position
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pop — music
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. drill — a practice
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pop — to visit
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pop — soda
  20. fall — to drop
  21. toast — bread
  22. land — ground
  23. board — a committee
  24. drill — army training

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