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 120 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: stem · wind · bowl · track · fine · ball · bank · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stem — to come from
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fine — all right
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. ball — a dance
  10. key — in music
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. fine — high quality
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bank — for money
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bank — of a river
  22. track — a song
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bank — for money

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