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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rock — music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. hand — help
  11. current — happening now
  12. degree — temperature
  13. current — of water
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. current — electric
  17. lean — to bend
  18. key — the most important part
  19. lean — thin
  20. rock — a stone
  21. degree — from a university
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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