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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. march — the month
  3. last — final
  4. key — in music
  5. last — finally
  6. mug — a face
  7. key — the most important part
  8. track — a song
  9. court — of law
  10. firm — a company
  11. last — to go on
  12. wound — an injury
  13. march — music
  14. wound — an injury
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. mug — a cup
  18. firm — steady
  19. court — for sport
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. firm — decided
  22. march — the month
  23. court — of a king
  24. mug — to rob

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