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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. key — for a lock
  5. capital — a city
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. drill — army training
  8. current — of water
  9. last — final
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — in golf
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. capital — money
  16. last — to go on
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. current — electric
  20. last — finally
  21. drill — a practice
  22. current — happening now
  23. swing — music
  24. root — of a plant

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