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: straw · craft · staff · tube · cap · bat · ball · pound

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bat — the animal
  4. staff — a stick
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. staff — employees
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cap — a hat
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. staff — employees
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. tube — a container
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. tube — the underground
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. craft — boats

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