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: pit · fork · key · racket · straw · ground · drill · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. key — the most important part
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pit — in a race
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. drill — a practice
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. drill — the tool
  10. ground — a position
  11. fork — in a road
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. key — in music
  16. drill — army training
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wind — moving air
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. key — for a lock
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pit — a hole
  24. racket — for tennis

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