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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. chair — a leader
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. race — a contest
  8. kick — in football
  9. root — of a word
  10. pop — soda
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. race — humankind
  13. hand — help
  14. root — the cause
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pop — to visit
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. hand — in cards
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. root — of a plant
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. race — the arms race

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