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 116 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. drill — the tool
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. drill — army training
  5. scale — in music
  6. rest — a break
  7. spell — letters
  8. can — to be able to
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. scale — size or range
  12. spell — magic
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. drill — a practice
  15. can — a tin
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stem — to come from
  18. can — a tin
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stem — of a plant

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