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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: current · date · club · bear · sharp · key · degree · rash

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. bear — the animal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. key — in music
  10. date — the fruit
  11. degree — from a university
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. key — the most important part
  15. club — for dancing
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rash — hasty
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rash — a series
  21. degree — an amount
  22. current — of water
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bear — the animal

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