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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. staff — employees
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. staff — employees
  6. field — for sport
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wake — a trail
  12. land — ground
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. land — to come down
  15. shower — rain
  16. land — a country
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. field — farmland
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. field — a subject

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