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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rule — government
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cold — not warm
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. degree — from a university
  10. kid — child
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. kid — to tease
  13. degree — an amount
  14. key — in music
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. toast — bread
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rule — a law
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cold — an illness
  24. key — the most important part

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