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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. land — a country
  3. spell — letters
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. branch — a division
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. land — ground
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pound — a weight
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. rush — hurry
  17. land — to come down
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. key — the most important part
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rush — to hurry

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