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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. tube — a container
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pop — to visit
  5. game — a match
  6. suit — clothes
  7. key — for a lock
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pop — soda
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. key — in music
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. tube — the underground
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cell — a phone
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pop — music
  21. cell — in biology
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — to fit
  24. hand — help

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