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: board · pitcher · key · kick · file · wound · mate · mine

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. key — the most important part
  3. board — to get on
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mate — a friend
  6. file — a tool
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — a committee
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. kick — in football
  11. mate — a partner
  12. file — a line of people
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. key — in music
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. key — for a lock
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. file — a document

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