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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. key — for a lock
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bat — the animal
  6. key — the most important part
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. key — in music
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cell — a phone
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fall — the season
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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