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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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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 · shower · wake · temple · kid · key · foot · pitch

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. key — in music
  12. kid — child
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. key — for a lock
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. foot — a measure
  20. kid — to tease
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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