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: mine · bat · key · hide · foot · track · wound · mug

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — for digging
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. track — a path
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. mug — a face
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mug — a cup
  19. track — a song
  20. foot — a measure
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. track — to keep track

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