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: shower · key · wind · jam · cell · wound · game · foot

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. wind — moving air
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. shower — rain
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wound — an injury
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wind — moving air
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. cell — a phone
  17. game — a match
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cell — in biology
  21. shower — to wash
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. foot — a measure
  24. game — wild animals

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