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: staff · spring · shower · bat · key · firm · coach · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. firm — steady
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pit — in a race
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. key — for a lock
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bat — the animal
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spring — a coil
  13. key — in music
  14. staff — employees
  15. key — the most important part
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. pit — a hole
  23. staff — employees
  24. shower — rain

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