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 116 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: band · coach · leaves · key · hand · wound · track · snap

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wound — an injury
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. hand — in cards
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — a path
  11. key — for a lock
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. snap — to click
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. hand — help
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. key — in music
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a song

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