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: coach · staff · cap · tube · rush · cell · land · saw

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rush — hurry
  5. cell — in biology
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. staff — a stick
  8. cap — a hat
  9. saw — the tool
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. tube — the underground
  12. cap — a lid
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. land — ground
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. tube — a container
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. land — to come down
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cell — a phone
  22. staff — employees
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. land — a country

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