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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wind — moving air
  3. key — in music
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wind — moving air
  6. key — the most important part
  7. mine — for digging
  8. chair — a leader
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. branch — a division
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rule — government
  16. rest — what's left
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rest — a break
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rule — a law
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. branch — of a tree

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