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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cell — a phone
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mine — for digging
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bore — to drill
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. key — in music
  15. bore — to tire
  16. track — a song
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. snap — to click
  24. track — a path

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