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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: date · kid · can · foot · bay · land · key · shower

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. date — the fruit
  3. can — to be able to
  4. key — for a lock
  5. land — to come down
  6. shower — rain
  7. foot — a measure
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. key — the most important part
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. kid — child
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. key — in music
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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