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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. pound — a weight
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. fine — all right
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fine — high quality
  8. drill — army training
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. capital — money
  11. drill — a practice
  12. capital — a city
  13. hand — help
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. sharp — clever
  17. hand — in cards
  18. key — for a lock
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rest — what's left

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