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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · straw · staff · rest · craft · fall

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. staff — employees
  3. tear — from crying
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. tear — from crying
  6. craft — boats
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fall — to drop
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rest — what's left
  14. craft — a skill
  15. rest — a break
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fall — the season
  18. 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