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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. craft — boats
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mine — for digging
  5. net — for catching
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. net — after costs
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wax — to grow
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. staff — a stick
  17. cold — an illness
  18. staff — employees
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to sink
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. net — in sport
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mine — an explosive

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