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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 · bulb · game · key · date · pitcher · rash · present

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. present — a gift
  3. current — electric
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. key — the most important part
  9. present — there
  10. rash — hasty
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. current — happening now
  14. game — a match
  15. current — of water
  16. present — the time now
  17. game — wild animals
  18. key — in music
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. date — the fruit
  22. rash — a series
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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