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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. race — a contest
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. race — humankind
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. mine — for digging
  7. staff — a stick
  8. stock — shares
  9. current — electric
  10. staff — employees
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stock — goods
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — happening now
  16. pound — a weight
  17. current — of water
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. race — the arms race

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