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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. file — a tool
  3. chair — a leader
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. band — a music group
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. file — a document
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. band — a ring
  13. ball — a great time
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. branch — a division

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