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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pass — a permit
  4. rule — a law
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rash — a series
  15. can — a tin
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. can — to be able to
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rule — government
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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