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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. date — the fruit
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. key — the most important part
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. dip — to sink
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pop — to visit
  10. fine — high quality
  11. pop — soda
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. fine — all right
  14. degree — temperature
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ground — a position
  18. key — in music
  19. pop — music
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. degree — from a university

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