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: fan · content · branch · kid · roll · cabinet · key · last

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. key — for a lock
  4. kid — to tease
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. last — final
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. content — happy
  10. branch — a division
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. key — the most important part
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. last — to go on
  16. content — the amount
  17. last — finally
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. key — in music
  24. kid — child

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