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 120 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. staff — a stick
  3. last — finally
  4. bear — the animal
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. last — final
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bass — the fish
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. staff — employees
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. wind — moving air
  21. staff — employees
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. deal — to handle
  24. last — to go on

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