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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mark — a grade
  6. hand — help
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mark — a trace
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. staff — a stick
  11. root — of a plant
  12. game — wild animals
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. root — the cause
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. staff — employees
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. root — of a word
  24. game — a match

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