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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. can — a tin
  3. season — of the year
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. can — to be able to
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. season — in sport
  11. stem — to come from
  12. staff — employees
  13. game — a match
  14. pitch — completely
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. game — wild animals
  19. staff — employees
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. can — a tin
  23. mine — for digging
  24. game — a kind of play

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