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 · clip · jam · key · bay · hand · coach · face

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. key — the most important part
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wind — moving air
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hand — help
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. clip — to cut
  11. face — to confront
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. clip — a video
  14. wind — moving air
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. key — for a lock
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. clip — for paper
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. face — to point toward
  23. hand — in cards
  24. key — in music

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