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 120 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: kid · root · hand · cell · rule · key · last · spell

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. root — the cause
  6. kid — child
  7. last — finally
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. spell — letters
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cell — in biology
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cell — a phone
  14. root — of a word
  15. rule — a law
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. hand — in cards
  18. last — to go on
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. last — final
  22. rule — government
  23. spell — magic
  24. kid — to tease

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