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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. key — the most important part
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. file — a tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. file — a line of people
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. scale — size or range
  16. chest — a box
  17. kick — in football
  18. file — a document
  19. date — the fruit
  20. chest — of your body
  21. scale — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. march — the month
  24. key — in music

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