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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cell — in biology
  7. degree — from a university
  8. staff — a stick
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. staff — employees
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stock — goods
  14. degree — temperature
  15. hand — help
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. charge — a price
  18. degree — an amount
  19. charge — in control
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. stock — shares
  22. staff — employees
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bowl — to roll

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