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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.

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: can · cold · racket · current · fine · track · game · key

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. game — a match
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fine — all right
  11. key — the most important part
  12. current — of water
  13. track — a path
  14. cold — an illness
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. can — a tin
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fine — high quality
  21. key — in music
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. track — a song
  24. game — wild animals

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