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 120 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. hand — help
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rule — a law
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. cold — not warm
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. field — a subject
  18. staff — a stick
  19. rule — government
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. field — for sport
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. field — farmland
  24. staff — employees

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