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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. roll — a list
  4. field — a subject
  5. lie — to recline
  6. fall — the season
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. craft — a skill
  9. snap — to click
  10. chair — a leader
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. craft — boats
  17. fall — to drop
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. fall — to drop

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