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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. saw — the tool
  5. roll — a cake
  6. key — the most important part
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ball — a dance
  11. prune — to trim
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. key — for a lock
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cold — not warm
  18. roll — a list
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cue — a signal
  22. ball — a great time
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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