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 116 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. branch — a division
  4. file — a tool
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. land — ground
  7. vault — a safe
  8. key — in music
  9. file — a document
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bat — the animal
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. land — a country
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. land — to come down
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. file — a line of people
  24. nail — for a hammer

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