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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. key — for a lock
  3. craft — a skill
  4. file — a line of people
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pound — a weight
  7. band — a ring
  8. key — in music
  9. swing — music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. file — a document
  12. key — the most important part
  13. band — a music group
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. file — a tool
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. spell — letters
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. spell — magic
  20. craft — boats
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. kid — child
  24. pound — for dogs

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