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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bound — certain
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cold — an illness
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rest — a break

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