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

Word bank: key · chair · suit · spell · nail · shower · cell · chest

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. key — the most important part
  3. spell — magic
  4. shower — to wash
  5. suit — to fit
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. spell — a short time
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. spell — letters
  12. cell — a phone
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. key — in music
  15. suit — in cards
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. suit — clothes
  20. chest — of your body
  21. key — for a lock
  22. chest — a box
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. shower — rain

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