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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cue — a hint
  3. degree — from a university
  4. root — of a plant
  5. season — of the year
  6. cue — a signal
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. key — in music
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. key — for a lock
  14. root — the cause
  15. degree — an amount
  16. root — of a word
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rush — hurry
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cue — for pool
  22. degree — temperature
  23. season — in sport
  24. mine — an explosive

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