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: straw · game · pop · face · cabinet · key · spell · cue

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cue — for pool
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. spell — letters
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. face — to confront
  9. cue — a signal
  10. game — wild animals
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pop — music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. face — part of the head
  17. game — a match
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pop — soda
  21. spell — magic
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spell — a short time

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