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 116 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. game — wild animals
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fall — to drop
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. key — in music
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. fall — the season
  10. stand — to bear
  11. fall — to drop
  12. key — the most important part
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. shower — rain
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. scale — size or range
  20. game — a match
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. scale — in music
  23. shower — to wash
  24. cap — a hat

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