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 116 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 · rest · fork · key · kid · field · ruler · snap

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. snap — to click
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. kid — child
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rest — a break
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. field — a subject
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fork — in a road
  16. key — for a lock
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. rest — what's left
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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