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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.

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: date · bear · degree · pop · key · arm · deal · shower

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pop — soda
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bear — the animal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pop — to visit
  13. degree — temperature
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. degree — from a university
  16. shower — rain
  17. pop — music
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bear — the animal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. degree — an amount

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