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: sharp · staff · kid · cold · pit · stick · game · stand

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. stand — to bear
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pit — a hole
  5. staff — employees
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. kid — to tease
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. sharp — clever
  22. kid — child
  23. game — a match
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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