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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. net — in sport
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. staff — employees
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bore — to drill
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spell — magic
  16. cell — in biology
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. spell — letters
  19. shower — rain
  20. mine — for digging
  21. spell — a short time
  22. net — for catching
  23. staff — a stick
  24. net — after costs

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