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 · chip · band · season · fall · shower · pitcher · key

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. key — the most important part
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. season — in sport
  5. shower — to wash
  6. chip — for betting
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fall — the season
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. key — in music
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. shower — rain
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. fall — to drop
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. season — of the year
  24. band — a rubber band

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