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: bore · roll · bay · staff · bat · cabinet · mine · row

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. roll — a cake
  3. staff — a stick
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. roll — a list
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bat — the animal
  14. row — a line
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. staff — employees

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