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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. last — final
  4. kid — child
  5. last — finally
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bass — low music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. last — to go on
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. track — a path
  16. bass — the fish
  17. track — to keep track
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. track — a song
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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