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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. band — a ring
  4. staff — a stick
  5. field — for sport
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. band — a music group
  8. field — farmland
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — a subject
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — in music
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. staff — employees
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. club — for golf
  20. saw — the tool
  21. club — for dancing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. club — a group
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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