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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wind — moving air
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. band — a music group
  9. wind — moving air
  10. key — the most important part
  11. chest — a box
  12. key — for a lock
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. chest — of your body
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. chest — of your body
  17. band — a ring
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. scale — in music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. key — in music

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