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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. key — for a lock
  3. net — in sport
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wax — to grow
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. key — the most important part
  17. net — for catching
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. spell — magic
  20. net — after costs
  21. squash — to crush
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. squash — the sport
  24. key — in music

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