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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. drill — army training
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. rash — a series
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pitch — completely
  16. drill — a practice
  17. band — a ring
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. mine — for digging
  23. band — a music group
  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