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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. tear — to rip
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. root — of a plant
  12. vault — a safe
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. key — in music
  17. root — of a word
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. dip — to sink
  21. tear — from crying
  22. key — the most important part
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. root — the cause

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