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: pound · saw · land · degree · key · chest · current · jam

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. land — ground
  3. pound — a weight
  4. chest — of your body
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. chest — a box
  8. saw — the tool
  9. degree — from a university
  10. current — happening now
  11. land — to come down
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. land — a country
  14. key — in music
  15. current — electric
  16. key — for a lock
  17. chest — of your body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. degree — temperature
  22. current — of water
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. degree — an amount

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