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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. squash — to crush
  4. drill — army training
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mate — to breed
  8. staff — a stick
  9. drill — a practice
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. hand — in cards
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. mine — for digging
  22. content — happy
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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