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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pit — a hole
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. lean — thin
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. plane — a tool
  11. lean — to bend
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. game — a match
  17. pit — in a race
  18. key — for a lock
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. clip — a video
  21. key — in music
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fan — a supporter

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