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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: key · jam · band · degree · plane · pitcher · bowl · content

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. band — a ring
  8. content — happy
  9. band — a music group
  10. plane — a tool
  11. key — in music
  12. degree — temperature
  13. content — the amount
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. degree — from a university
  16. key — for a lock
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. plane — in geometry

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