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 124 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: rest · wake · spring · ground · face · staff · land · toast

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. rest — a break
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. spring — the season
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. land — ground
  10. staff — employees
  11. spring — a coil
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. land — a country
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rest — what's left
  16. staff — a stick
  17. ground — crushed
  18. face — to confront
  19. ground — a position
  20. spring — of water
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ground — the earth
  24. land — to come down

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