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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. club — for dancing
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bat — the animal
  6. club — for golf
  7. track — to keep track
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bulb — for light
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. track — a song
  13. snap — to click
  14. bulb — for light
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. club — a group
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. track — a path
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. chair — to sit 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