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

Word bank: date · fall · rash · pound · mate · club · current · kid

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rash — a series
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mate — a partner
  11. kid — child
  12. club — for golf
  13. current — happening now
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. current — electric
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pound — a weight
  22. club — a group
  23. current — of water
  24. rash — hasty

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