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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. game — a match
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. rock — music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. cue — a signal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cue — for pool
  12. chest — a box
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. staff — employees
  15. stem — to come from
  16. ball — a dance
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mine — for digging
  20. staff — a stick
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rock — a stone
  23. stem — of a plant
  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