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: racket · key · present · rash · mine · rule · pound · bark

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rash — a series
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. key — for a lock
  11. present — a gift
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. present — there
  16. rule — government
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. present — the time now
  23. key — in music
  24. bark — to shout

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