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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rash — a series
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rock — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fall — the season
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bank — for money
  11. ground — a position
  12. rock — a stone
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. perch — the fish
  16. chair — a leader
  17. spring — the season
  18. bank — for money
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bank — of a river
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fall — to drop

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