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: rush · scale · wake · mine · straw · pop · content · key

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. key — in music
  3. rush — hurry
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pop — music
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. content — the amount
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. content — happy
  12. pop — soda
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. key — for a lock
  20. scale — in music
  21. pop — to visit
  22. scale — size or range
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. straw — dry grass

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