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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. spell — letters
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bat — the animal
  8. spell — a short time
  9. game — a match
  10. stock — goods
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. game — wild animals
  13. key — in music
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. swing — music
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. stock — shares
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spell — magic

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