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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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fine — all right
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. content — happy
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. scale — size or range
  18. fine — high quality
  19. key — in music
  20. scale — in music
  21. dip — to sink
  22. content — the amount
  23. key — for a lock
  24. dip — a sauce

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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