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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. capital — money
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. capital — a city
  10. pit — a hole
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pit — in a race
  17. face — to confront
  18. lean — thin
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lean — to bend

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