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: wound · stick · file · wake · key · content · bass · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wound — an injury
  4. content — the amount
  5. file — a tool
  6. key — for a lock
  7. content — happy
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bass — low music
  11. spell — letters
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. file — a document
  15. key — in music
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bass — the fish
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. content — videos and posts

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