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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. sharp — clever
  3. staff — a stick
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitch — completely
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cold — an illness
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. staff — employees
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rest — a break
  24. root — of a plant

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