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 · cell · bore · staff · racket · wound · land · jam

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wound — an injury
  4. staff — employees
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rest — a break
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. staff — a stick
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. cell — in biology
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. rest — what's left
  15. land — ground
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wound — an injury
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. staff — employees
  23. land — a country
  24. rest — what's left

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