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 116 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. key — in music
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. key — for a lock
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rock — music
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fall — the season
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. rock — a stone
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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