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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. staff — a stick
  3. firm — decided
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bass — the fish
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. staff — employees
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — steady
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. net — in sport
  13. bass — low music
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. kid — child
  18. net — for catching
  19. scale — in music
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. net — after costs
  22. bound — certain
  23. scale — size or range
  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