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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fine — all right
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fine — high quality
  7. shower — to wash
  8. can — a tin
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. key — in music
  11. pit — in a race
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. fork — in a road
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fork — to eat with

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