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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
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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: cell · cold · leaves · key · track · chip · land · lie

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cold — not warm
  5. land — a country
  6. track — a path
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. track — a song
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. land — ground
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. land — to come down
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. lie — to recline
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cold — an illness
  24. leaves — of a tree

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