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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. staff — employees
  9. field — farmland
  10. cue — a signal
  11. staff — employees
  12. bass — low music
  13. chest — a box
  14. field — a subject
  15. chest — of your body
  16. staff — a stick
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. sharp — clever
  19. chip — to eat
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cue — for pool
  24. chip — for betting

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