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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rash — hasty
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. staff — employees
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. spell — magic
  10. ball — a dance
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. charge — a price
  15. rash — a series
  16. cell — in biology
  17. charge — in control
  18. staff — employees
  19. ball — a great time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. saw — the tool
  24. charge — electricity

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