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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: net · key · mark · date · kid · toast · scale · trunk

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. kid — to tease
  4. date — the fruit
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. net — for catching
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. net — after costs
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mark — a grade
  13. key — in music
  14. mark — a trace
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. key — for a lock
  17. toast — bread
  18. scale — in music
  19. kid — child
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. key — the most important part
  22. net — in sport
  23. scale — size or range
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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