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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. track — a path
  7. rock — music
  8. face — to confront
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. key — in music
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. dip — to sink
  15. spring — a coil
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rock — a stone
  21. face — part of the head
  22. spring — of water
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. spring — the season

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