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: pitcher · club · rock · wake · staff · wound · stand · lie

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stand — to bear
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. staff — a stick
  10. club — for golf
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rock — music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. club — a group

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