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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. game — wild animals
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. face — part of the head
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pound — a weight
  11. game — a match
  12. staff — a stick
  13. face — to point toward
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bat — the animal
  18. face — to confront
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. staff — employees
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. shower — rain
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. pound — for dogs

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