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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stem — to come from
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. shower — rain
  7. lean — thin
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pitch — completely
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fork — in a road
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. spring — a coil
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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