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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. hand — help
  3. staff — employees
  4. last — finally
  5. mate — a partner
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wax — to grow
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. swing — in golf
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. hand — in cards
  13. ground — a position
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. ground — crushed
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. ground — the earth
  21. swing — music
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. jam — a tight spot

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