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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 120 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bass — low music
  4. fine — high quality
  5. key — for a lock
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. season — of the year
  8. content — the amount
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. track — to keep track
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. track — a song
  13. bass — the fish
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. content — happy
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. track — a path
  20. dip — to sink
  21. fine — all right
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. season — in sport

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