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 120 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. craft — a skill
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. field — a subject
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mine — for digging
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. field — for sport
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. field — farmland
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. squash — the sport
  23. hand — help
  24. craft — boats

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