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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pop — soda
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chest — of your body
  5. squash — the sport
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. game — a match
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. squash — to crush
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. patient — a sick person

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