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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. squash — the sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. file — a tool
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. key — for a lock
  9. foot — a measure
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. season — of the year
  15. lean — thin
  16. file — a line of people
  17. season — in sport
  18. lean — to bend
  19. file — a document
  20. squash — to crush
  21. key — in music
  22. game — a match
  23. snap — to click
  24. lean — to rest against

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