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 116 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 was locked up in a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. cue — a hint
  8. capital — money
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. saw — the tool
  11. capital — a city
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. sharp — clever
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cell — a phone
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. last — final
  21. cue — for pool
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. capital — a big letter

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