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: pop · toast · mouse · arm · degree · cold · key · chip

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. chip — to eat
  4. key — the most important part
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cold — an illness
  8. degree — from a university
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. chip — for betting
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — soda
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. degree — temperature
  21. key — in music
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pop — music

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