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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: wake · current · degree · bay · key · shower · pit · rash

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. current — electric
  3. wake — a trail
  4. key — in music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. key — for a lock
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — a hole
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. shower — rain
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. degree — an amount
  24. shower — to wash

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