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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. charge — electricity
  3. shower — to wash
  4. object — an aim
  5. pop — music
  6. charge — a price
  7. object — to protest
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pop — to visit
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pop — soda
  12. object — a thing
  13. cue — for pool
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — in music
  19. ground — a position
  20. scale — size or range
  21. cue — a signal
  22. shower — rain
  23. charge — in control
  24. cue — a hint

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