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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. key — the most important part
  3. game — a match
  4. cold — an illness
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. deal — to handle
  8. key — in music
  9. dip — to sink
  10. key — for a lock
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. wind — moving air

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