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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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. stem — of a plant
  4. rest — what's left
  5. hand — help
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. kid — child
  9. staff — employees
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rest — what's left
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. present — there
  14. sharp — clever
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rest — a break
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — the time now
  21. staff — a stick
  22. press — to push
  23. press — newspapers
  24. kid — to tease

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