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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mug — a cup
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mug — a face
  9. degree — temperature
  10. dip — to sink
  11. key — the most important part
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. key — in music
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — a city
  17. bulb — for light
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bulb — for light
  20. degree — an amount
  21. key — for a lock
  22. mug — to rob
  23. capital — money
  24. bass — low music

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