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: straw · pitcher · ground · game · root · staff · tube · band

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. tube — a container
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ground — crushed
  7. root — the cause
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. ground — the earth
  11. staff — employees
  12. root — of a plant
  13. game — wild animals
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. band — a music group
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. ground — a position
  19. tube — the underground
  20. root — of a word
  21. band — a ring
  22. staff — employees
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

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