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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. press — to push
  3. rock — a stone
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rock — music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. race — a contest
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. race — humankind
  11. ground — a position
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. fork — in a road
  14. stem — to come from
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. press — a publisher
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rock — to move gently

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