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: fall · key · ground · rest · cap · spring · hand · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fall — the season
  3. rest — what's left
  4. spring — the season
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. spring — a coil
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fall — to drop
  11. hand — help
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cap — a hat
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cap — of ice
  20. spring — of water
  21. rest — a break
  22. ground — a position
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cap — a lid

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