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: can · ground · chest · cold · mate · staff · mouse · nail

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cold — an illness
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. staff — a stick
  6. can — a tin
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. can — a tin
  9. chest — a box
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. can — to be able to
  12. ground — crushed
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chest — of your body
  18. staff — employees
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ground — a position
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mate — a partner
  24. staff — employees

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