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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: date · bound · dip · rush · content · rash · key · band

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. key — for a lock
  7. dip — to sink
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rush — hurry
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. key — in music
  16. content — happy
  17. rash — hasty
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. key — the most important part
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rash — a series
  23. bound — obliged
  24. dip — to dunk

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