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: key · mine · kid · fine · bulb · face · chest · racket

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. kid — to tease
  3. face — to point toward
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. face — to confront
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. chest — of your body
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — for a lock
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chest — a box
  18. key — in music
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fine — high quality
  22. chest — of your body
  23. face — part of the head
  24. racket — for tennis

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