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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fall — to drop
  5. key — in music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. field — farmland
  8. key — the most important part
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — a subject
  14. kid — to tease
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. field — for sport
  17. fork — in a road
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. chest — a box
  20. fall — the season
  21. cue — a signal
  22. kid — child
  23. chest — of your body
  24. key — for a lock

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