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

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. key — in music
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. date — the fruit
  9. roll — a cake
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. roll — a list
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. plane — a tool
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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