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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. key — in music
  3. row — a line
  4. cold — an illness
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. key — for a lock
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mark — a grade
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. row — to paddle
  21. foot — a measure
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cold — the Cold War

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