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 116 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tube — a container
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pop — music
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pop — soda
  13. mate — to breed
  14. capital — money
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. staff — a stick
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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