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: mate · bear · chair · cue · staff · field · clip · bark

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. field — a subject
  3. cue — a signal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. field — for sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bear — the animal
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. field — farmland
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bear — to put up with

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