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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. spring — the season
  5. field — a subject
  6. staff — a stick
  7. race — a contest
  8. spring — of water
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. race — the arms race
  11. field — farmland
  12. race — humankind
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bank — for money
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cap — a hat
  18. field — for sport
  19. staff — employees
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bank — for money
  22. scale — in music
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bank — of a river

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