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 124 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. key — in music
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. spring — of water
  7. field — farmland
  8. bass — low music
  9. game — wild animals
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. kick — in football
  12. spring — a coil
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. key — for a lock
  15. game — a match
  16. bass — the fish
  17. prune — to trim
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. spring — the season
  20. prune — to trim
  21. field — a subject
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. key — the most important part
  24. field — for sport

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