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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mark — a trace
  5. court — of law
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. bore — to tire
  10. key — for a lock
  11. field — farmland
  12. squash — the sport
  13. key — in music
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. court — for sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bore — to drill
  18. face — to confront
  19. court — of a king
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mark — a grade
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bore — gave birth

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