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: craft · lie · cold · spell · mine · staff · mate · board

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. craft — boats
  3. spell — a short time
  4. craft — a skill
  5. board — a committee
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mate — a friend
  8. spell — letters
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. board — to get on
  17. spell — magic
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. lie — to recline
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. mine — an explosive

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