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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. firm — steady
  4. spring — the season
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bark — to shout
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. firm — decided
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. spring — of water
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. firm — a company
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rest — a break
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rest — what's left

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