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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. sharp — clever
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. mate — a friend
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. mate — to breed
  15. staff — a stick
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bass — low music
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mate — a partner
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bass — the fish
  23. staff — employees
  24. scale — 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