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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: field · date · kid · current · key · dip · file · rush

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. field — a subject
  3. dip — to sink
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. field — for sport
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. file — a document
  9. current — of water
  10. file — a tool
  11. kid — child
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. field — farmland
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. file — a line of people
  17. kid — to tease
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. key — for a lock
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rush — hurry
  24. key — in music

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