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: march · squash · tear · bear · game · swing · nail · key

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. swing — music
  5. squash — to crush
  6. tear — from crying
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. key — in music
  9. tear — to rip
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. tear — from crying
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. march — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. march — the month
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. march — the month
  22. game — wild animals
  23. swing — in golf
  24. squash — the sport

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