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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. court — for sport
  5. ground — crushed
  6. object — an aim
  7. game — wild animals
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rock — a stone
  12. roll — a cake
  13. ground — a position
  14. game — a match
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — to protest
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. ground — the earth
  21. staff — employees
  22. roll — a list
  23. rock — music
  24. game — a kind of play

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