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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cold — an illness
  5. can — a tin
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bat — the animal
  9. key — for a lock
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. key — in music
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. can — a tin
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. game — a match

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