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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. staff — employees
  4. wake — a trail
  5. staff — employees
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mine — for digging
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wind — moving air
  10. track — to keep track
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wind — moving air
  14. track — a path
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bear — the animal
  19. track — a song
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bear — the animal

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