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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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. deal — to handle
  4. press — a publisher
  5. lean — to bend
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. fine — all right
  10. press — to push
  11. cap — of ice
  12. key — in music
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cap — a lid
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. fine — high quality
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. press — newspapers
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wind — to turn a key

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