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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · hide · key · wave · land · content

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. key — the most important part
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. degree — temperature
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. degree — an amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. key — in music
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. land — ground
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. degree — from a university

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