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 120 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. band — a music group
  4. rock — a stone
  5. march — the month
  6. mug — to rob
  7. hand — help
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bound — obliged
  10. march — the month
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rock — music
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mug — a cup
  16. band — a ring
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mug — a face
  19. march — music
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bound — certain
  22. sharp — clever
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. staff — employees

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