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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. cap — a lid
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. land — ground
  6. key — for a lock
  7. face — to confront
  8. cap — a hat
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. land — a country
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. spring — of water
  16. face — to point toward
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. key — in music
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. land — to come down
  24. cap — of ice

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