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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — to keep track
  4. staff — a stick
  5. track — a song
  6. game — a match
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. track — a path
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. band — a ring
  14. game — wild animals
  15. drill — army training
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. band — a music group
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. staff — employees
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rush — hurry

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