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: deal · coach · chest · pound · mug · present · wax · staff

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. staff — employees
  3. present — a gift
  4. staff — employees
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pound — a weight
  7. chest — a box
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. deal — to handle
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. present — the time now
  13. mug — a face
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. present — there
  20. wax — to grow
  21. staff — a stick
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. deal — an agreement

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