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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. key — for a lock
  3. content — the amount
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. land — ground
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. ball — a dance
  9. key — in music
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. content — happy
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. key — the most important part

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