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: land · roll · straw · staff · trunk · mine · cue · nail

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. land — ground
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mine — for digging
  5. land — to come down
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cue — a hint
  15. staff — a stick
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. staff — employees
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — a list
  21. land — a country
  22. cue — a signal
  23. staff — employees
  24. cue — for pool

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