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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pop — music
  3. mate — a partner
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. field — farmland
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. key — the most important part
  12. mate — to breed
  13. field — for sport
  14. key — in music
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pop — soda
  17. snap — to click
  18. row — a line
  19. field — a subject
  20. mate — a friend
  21. hand — help
  22. pop — to visit
  23. key — for a lock
  24. hand — in cards

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