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: bark · wound · bat · fan · cap · lean · field · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lean — thin
  5. field — farmland
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. field — a subject
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cap — of ice
  24. field — for 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