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: mate · board · race · pitcher · staff · plane · straw · tube

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. staff — employees
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mate — a friend
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. tube — a container
  8. staff — employees
  9. race — humankind
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. board — to get on
  16. race — a contest
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mate — to breed
  20. tube — the underground
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. race — the arms race
  23. plane — a tool
  24. board — a committee

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