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 116 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fall — to drop
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. craft — a skill
  7. press — a publisher
  8. prune — to trim
  9. press — to push
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. press — newspapers
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. club — for dancing
  17. fall — the season
  18. hand — in cards
  19. craft — boats
  20. hand — help
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. club — a group

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