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 120 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. key — the most important part
  3. firm — decided
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. firm — steady
  6. craft — a skill
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. clip — a video
  11. craft — boats
  12. firm — a company
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. clip — to cut
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. key — for a lock
  18. field — a subject
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. key — in music
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mine — for digging

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