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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. perch — the fish
  3. saw — the tool
  4. key — for a lock
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. saw — the tool
  11. field — a subject
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. content — the amount
  17. key — in music
  18. field — farmland
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. sharp — clever
  22. content — happy
  23. field — for sport
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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