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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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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: cap · track · land · suit · pit · wake · fine · current

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. land — to come down
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cap — a hat
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pit — a hole
  9. fine — all right
  10. land — ground
  11. suit — clothes
  12. current — happening now
  13. cap — a lid
  14. current — of water
  15. track — a song
  16. pit — in a race
  17. current — electric
  18. cap — of ice
  19. suit — in cards
  20. track — a path
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. track — to keep track
  23. land — a country
  24. suit — to fit

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