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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.

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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: wind · band · mate · content · cue · craft · degree · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mate — a partner
  5. band — a ring
  6. degree — an amount
  7. content — the amount
  8. cue — for pool
  9. craft — boats
  10. cue — a signal
  11. key — for a lock
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mate — a friend
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. content — happy
  17. mate — to breed
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. band — a music group
  21. degree — from a university
  22. cue — a hint
  23. craft — a skill
  24. content — videos and posts

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