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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. season — of the year
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. staff — employees
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. staff — a stick
  13. rash — a series
  14. rock — a stone
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. land — a country
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. staff — employees
  19. ground — the earth
  20. row — a line
  21. season — in sport
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. ground — a position

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