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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. track — a song
  3. key — in music
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. game — a match
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fall — the season
  8. game — wild animals
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. track — to keep track
  11. key — the most important part
  12. spell — letters
  13. fall — to drop
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. chip — for betting
  19. key — for a lock
  20. track — a path
  21. spell — a short time
  22. deal — to handle
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fall — to drop

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