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: rest · drill · tube · bass · staff · sharp · straw · chair

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. drill — army training
  4. rest — a break
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. chair — a leader
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bass — the fish
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. drill — a practice
  15. staff — a stick
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. staff — employees
  19. tube — the underground
  20. staff — employees
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bass — low music
  23. tube — a container
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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