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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. key — for a lock
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. key — the most important part
  7. plane — a tool
  8. degree — an amount
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. root — the cause
  15. key — in music
  16. content — the amount
  17. root — of a word
  18. roll — a cake
  19. degree — temperature
  20. squash — to crush
  21. root — of a plant
  22. degree — from a university
  23. content — happy
  24. roll — a list

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