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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. charge — electricity
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. shower — rain
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. track — to keep track
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. clip — a video
  18. fork — in a road
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. charge — in control
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — a measure

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