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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. mug — to rob
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. root — the cause
  7. bat — the animal
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mug — a cup
  12. kick — in football
  13. wind — moving air
  14. key — in music
  15. mug — a face
  16. mine — for digging
  17. key — for a lock
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. root — of a word
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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