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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. pound — a weight
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bat — the animal
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bat — for baseball
  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