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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. band — a ring
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — a tool
  9. key — for a lock
  10. band — a music group
  11. kid — to tease
  12. degree — an amount
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pitch — completely
  18. degree — from a university
  19. key — in music
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. kid — child
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. ruler — for measuring

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