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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. shower — to wash
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. key — for a lock
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. club — for golf
  9. key — the most important part
  10. club — a group
  11. roll — a cake
  12. cap — a hat
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. cap — of ice
  16. shower — rain
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cap — a lid
  19. club — for dancing
  20. key — in music
  21. plane — a tool
  22. roll — a list
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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