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 124 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. hand — help
  4. shower — rain
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. track — a song
  10. scale — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wind — moving air
  13. key — in music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. track — a path
  17. scale — size or range
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. shower — to wash
  20. key — for a lock
  21. wind — moving air
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pitcher — a jug

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