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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. hand — in cards
  3. board — to get on
  4. band — a ring
  5. kick — in football
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. net — after costs
  9. key — the most important part
  10. board — a committee
  11. hand — help
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. key — for a lock
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. key — in music
  16. swing — music
  17. track — to keep track
  18. swing — to play on
  19. net — for catching
  20. swing — in golf
  21. band — a music group
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. net — in sport

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