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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. last — finally
  7. object — to protest
  8. pass — a permit
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — a thing
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. chair — a leader
  15. perch — the fish
  16. last — to go on
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. last — final
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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