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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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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: bat · snap · track · pop · deal · field · mug · current

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. field — for sport
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pop — music
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. track — a song
  11. deal — to handle
  12. track — to keep track
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. field — farmland
  15. current — happening now
  16. pop — soda
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mug — a face
  19. field — a subject
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. track — a path
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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