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: hand · mine · staff · game · key · spring · can · scale

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. spring — a coil
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mine — for digging
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. key — the most important part
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. key — in music
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. can — a tin
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. game — a match
  19. key — for a lock
  20. scale — size or range
  21. staff — employees
  22. scale — in music
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. scale — for weighing

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