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

Word bank: deal · content · bass · plane · hand · lie · key · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bass — low music
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. ground — a position
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. key — in music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ground — crushed
  16. plane — a tool
  17. hand — in cards
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. bass — the fish
  24. lie — an untruth

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