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

Word bank: key · calf · band · wake · straw · swing · degree · stick

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. degree — temperature
  7. key — in music
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. swing — music
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. swing — in golf
  16. degree — from a university
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. band — a ring
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. swing — to play on
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wake — a trail
  23. band — a music group
  24. key — the most important part

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