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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. spring — a coil
  3. shower — rain
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. snap — to click
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. chair — a leader
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. shower — to wash
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. spring — the season
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. sharp — clever
  22. spring — of water
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. roll — a list

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