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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. march — the month
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. tube — the underground
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. board — a committee
  8. march — music
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. game — a match
  11. board — to get on
  12. rest — a break
  13. game — wild animals
  14. staff — employees
  15. last — final
  16. march — the month
  17. last — finally
  18. rest — what's left
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fork — in a road
  22. staff — employees
  23. tube — a container
  24. last — to go on

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