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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.

Make a worksheet

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: perch · mate · date · current · nail · hand · dip · kid

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mate — to breed
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. kid — to tease
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. kid — child
  10. perch — the fish
  11. mate — a partner
  12. current — of water
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. dip — to sink
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. date — the fruit
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. mate — a friend

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