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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. spell — magic
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. clip — to cut
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. key — in music
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. clip — a video
  12. spell — a short time
  13. clip — for paper
  14. spell — letters
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lean — thin
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pitcher — a jug

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