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

Word bank: wind · cold · mug · scale · staff · rule

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. staff — employees
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rule — a law
  6. scale — in music
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cold — not warm
  10. staff — employees
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rule — government
  15. mug — a face
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mug — a cup
  18. cold — an illness

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