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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. degree — temperature
  5. season — of the year
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. spring — of water
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. degree — from a university
  11. dip — to sink
  12. spring — a coil
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. key — in music
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. season — in sport
  18. content — happy
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. spring — the season
  21. key — the most important part
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. content — the amount

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