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: wind · cold · cabinet · lean · cell · march · key · toast

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cold — an illness
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. wind — moving air
  5. toast — bread
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lean — thin
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. march — the month
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. march — music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cell — in biology
  20. march — the month
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. key — for a lock

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