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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. season — of the year
  4. rock — music
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. track — a song
  7. content — happy
  8. rock — a stone
  9. season — in sport
  10. track — a path
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. saw — the tool
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cap — a lid
  17. snap — to click
  18. content — the amount
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cap — a hat
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. cap — of ice

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