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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. kick — in football
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mine — for digging
  5. present — there
  6. rest — a break
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. race — a contest
  21. rest — what's left
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. chair — a professorship

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