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

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. degree — an amount
  3. key — for a lock
  4. current — electric
  5. key — the most important part
  6. can — a tin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bound — obliged
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rest — what's left
  11. current — of water
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. can — a tin
  14. current — happening now
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rest — what's left
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. key — in music
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bound — certain
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rest — a break
  24. can — to be able to

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