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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. key — the most important part
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. key — in music
  7. drill — the tool
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. key — for a lock
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wind — moving air
  13. march — the month
  14. spring — of water
  15. wind — moving air
  16. drill — a practice
  17. march — music
  18. spring — the season
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. march — the month
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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