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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. toast — bread
  3. staff — employees
  4. game — wild animals
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. saw — the tool
  8. field — for sport
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. field — a subject
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. roll — a list
  16. season — in sport
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. field — farmland
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. roll — a cake
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. season — of the year

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