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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bat — the animal
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. key — in music
  8. roll — a list
  9. spring — of water
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cell — in biology
  12. spring — a coil
  13. ground — a position
  14. spring — the season
  15. club — for golf
  16. key — for a lock
  17. ground — crushed
  18. board — to get on
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. club — a group
  22. ground — the earth
  23. board — a committee
  24. club — for dancing

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