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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. tube — a container
  3. hand — in cards
  4. key — for a lock
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. charge — in control
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. key — in music
  10. tube — the underground
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. charge — a price
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bark — to shout
  24. chair — a leader

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