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: leaves · club · key · wind · roll · pop · rule · mine

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rule — government
  9. pop — music
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pop — soda
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rule — a law
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — a group
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — a list

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