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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spring — of water
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. staff — employees
  6. sharp — clever
  7. court — of law
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. drill — a practice
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. court — of a king
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. spring — the season
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. drill — army training
  21. staff — employees
  22. court — for sport
  23. staff — a stick
  24. spring — a coil

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