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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. mate — to breed
  3. spell — magic
  4. face — to confront
  5. mate — a partner
  6. row — a line
  7. face — to point toward
  8. perch — the fish
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spell — a short time
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fine — all right
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. key — in music
  17. game — a match
  18. fine — high quality
  19. face — part of the head
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. key — for a lock
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. spell — letters

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