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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chip — to eat
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. sharp — clever
  11. staff — a stick
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. rock — music
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wake — a trail
  17. staff — employees
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cold — an illness
  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