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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bound — certain
  3. chest — a box
  4. file — a line of people
  5. charge — in control
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. charge — electricity
  8. file — a tool
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chest — of your body
  11. snap — to click
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bound — obliged
  15. ground — a position
  16. bound — tied together
  17. file — a document
  18. ground — crushed
  19. chest — of your body
  20. staff — a stick
  21. charge — a price
  22. staff — employees
  23. ground — the earth
  24. chair — a leader

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