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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: fine · hand · key · land · rash · content · date · degree

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rash — hasty
  4. key — for a lock
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. content — happy
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. key — the most important part
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. key — in music
  14. date — the fruit
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. land — a country
  17. rash — a series
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fine — all right
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. hand — help

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