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 120 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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 — for a lock
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. saw — the tool
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — from a university
  10. swing — music
  11. key — in music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — to play on
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tear — from crying
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. degree — an amount
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stem — to come from
  24. calf — a young animal

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