ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

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.

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
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. key — the most important part
  4. roll — a list
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bore — to tire
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bore — to drill
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. key — in music
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bore — gave birth

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