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 · file · pound · field · cue · scale · can · stick

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. key — for a lock
  3. scale — size or range
  4. field — a subject
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cue — a signal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. can — a tin
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cue — a hint
  14. pound — a weight
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. cue — for pool
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. key — in music
  20. field — farmland
  21. can — to be able to
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. scale — in music
  24. can — a tin

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