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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. staff — employees
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rock — music
  5. track — a path
  6. spring — the season
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spring — of water
  10. key — for a lock
  11. spring — a coil
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. track — a song
  14. key — the most important part
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bore — to tire
  17. saw — the tool
  18. track — to keep track
  19. staff — employees
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bore — to drill
  23. key — in music
  24. straw — dry grass

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