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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: pop · content · mug · key · track · cold · snap · face

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pop — music
  3. face — part of the head
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. snap — to click
  7. face — to confront
  8. pop — to visit
  9. content — happy
  10. mug — a cup
  11. key — for a lock
  12. cold — an illness
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. mug — to rob
  17. track — to keep track
  18. content — the amount
  19. mug — a face
  20. pop — soda
  21. face — to point toward
  22. key — in music
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cold — not warm

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