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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. content — happy
  4. band — a ring
  5. rest — a break
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tube — a container
  8. staff — employees
  9. scale — in music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. tube — the underground
  12. staff — a stick
  13. content — the amount
  14. staff — employees
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rest — what's left
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. scale — size or range
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. band — a music group
  24. key — in music

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