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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. key — the most important part
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. kid — child
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. key — in music
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. chest — a box
  14. can — a tin
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. chest — of your body
  18. present — a gift
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. key — for a lock
  21. chest — of your body
  22. kid — to tease
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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