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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. land — ground
  3. staff — employees
  4. land — a country
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. can — a tin
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a leader
  12. land — to come down
  13. staff — a stick
  14. content — happy
  15. can — a tin
  16. staff — employees
  17. can — to be able to
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. content — the amount
  21. wax — to grow
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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