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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: bark · chair · pass · file · wake · track · board · land

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. land — to come down
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wake — a trail
  5. file — a document
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. land — a country
  10. board — a committee
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. board — to get on
  16. bark — to shout
  17. land — ground
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. track — to keep track
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. pass — a permit

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