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: key · staff · cold · fine · fan · bark · stand · scale

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. scale — size or range
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. staff — employees
  6. bark — to shout
  7. key — in music
  8. staff — a stick
  9. stand — to bear
  10. key — the most important part
  11. scale — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. fine — high quality
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cold — an illness
  24. stand — for spectators

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