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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. kick — in football
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cold — not warm
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. kid — child
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. kid — to tease
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fork — in a road
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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