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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. present — there
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. present — a gift
  7. drill — a practice
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. key — in music
  10. bat — the animal
  11. key — for a lock
  12. drill — army training
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. key — the most important part
  16. last — to go on
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. prune — to trim
  22. present — the time now
  23. wake — a trail
  24. arm — part of the body

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