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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rule — a law
  6. cell — a phone
  7. roll — a list
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. mark — a grade
  11. net — after costs
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. net — for catching
  14. press — to push
  15. cell — in biology
  16. roll — a cake
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. press — a publisher
  21. rule — government
  22. press — newspapers
  23. toast — bread
  24. net — in sport

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