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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. staff — employees
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — a contest
  6. ground — a position
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. sharp — clever
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bulb — for light
  12. staff — employees
  13. bulb — for light
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — in cards
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. race — humankind
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. hand — help
  24. trunk — of a car

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