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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. cue — a signal
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. key — for a lock
  5. kick — in football
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. spell — magic
  11. scale — in music
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cue — for pool
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bark — to shout
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. spell — letters
  23. temple — side of the head
  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