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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. root — of a word
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. root — of a plant
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. key — in music
  11. drill — army training
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hand — in cards
  17. key — the most important part
  18. drill — the tool
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. hand — help
  21. drill — a practice
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. root — the cause
  24. saw — the tool

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