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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. key — the most important part
  3. drill — army training
  4. key — for a lock
  5. land — ground
  6. bear — the animal
  7. swing — music
  8. chip — to eat
  9. object — a thing
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cold — not warm
  12. object — to protest
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cold — an illness
  15. drill — a practice
  16. chip — for betting
  17. land — to come down
  18. object — an aim
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. land — a country
  21. swing — to play on
  22. key — in music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cold — the Cold War

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