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 116 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. ground — crushed
  3. swing — in golf
  4. snap — to click
  5. key — for a lock
  6. ground — a position
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. mate — to breed
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. key — in music
  12. swing — music
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bound — tied together
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mate — a friend
  22. key — the most important part
  23. swing — to play on
  24. spring — of water

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