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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. court — of law
  3. key — in music
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. court — of a king
  8. drill — the tool
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. scale — in music
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. drill — a practice
  13. court — for sport
  14. drill — army training
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. key — for a lock
  19. foot — a measure
  20. last — finally
  21. key — the most important part
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. last — to go on

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