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: staff · bass · press · plane · mug · bat · saw · cold

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mug — a cup
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. cold — not warm
  8. saw — the tool
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bass — low music
  15. mug — to rob
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mug — a face
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. plane — a tool
  24. press — to push

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