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: fork · ground · key · drill · branch · suit · wound · land

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. key — in music
  3. fork — in a road
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. key — for a lock
  7. ground — crushed
  8. drill — the tool
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. land — to come down
  12. key — the most important part
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wound — an injury
  15. land — ground
  16. branch — a division
  17. land — a country
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. suit — to fit
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. wound — an injury
  22. suit — clothes
  23. drill — army training
  24. ground — a position

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