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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · cell · field · spell · nail · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. spell — magic
  3. firm — a company
  4. spell — letters
  5. key — for a lock
  6. field — for sport
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. firm — steady
  9. spell — a short time
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. key — the most important part
  15. firm — decided
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology

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