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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. degree — an amount
  4. game — a match
  5. shower — to wash
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. game — wild animals
  8. key — the most important part
  9. present — the time now
  10. key — in music
  11. mate — to breed
  12. present — there
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. degree — from a university
  15. present — a gift
  16. shower — rain
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fine — all right
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mate — a partner
  24. key — for a lock

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