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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mug — a cup
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rest — what's left
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. key — in music
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. capital — money
  14. rash — a series
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. spell — magic
  17. mug — a face
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — not warm
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mug — to rob
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rest — a break

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