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: perch · game · cue · band · mine · squash · snap · staff

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. snap — to click
  3. staff — employees
  4. cue — for pool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. band — a ring
  7. game — wild animals
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. staff — employees
  17. cue — a hint
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mine — for digging
  22. band — a music group
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. perch — the fish

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