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 120 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. charge — electricity
  3. staff — employees
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. spring — a coil
  10. charge — in control
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. staff — a stick
  14. content — the amount
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. charge — a price
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. content — happy
  23. field — for sport
  24. fan — a supporter

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