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 124 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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cap — a hat
  5. staff — employees
  6. bank — for money
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. march — music
  11. club — for golf
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wound — an injury
  16. club — a group
  17. game — a match
  18. present — there
  19. march — the month
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bank — of a river
  22. wound — an injury
  23. march — the month
  24. bank — for money

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