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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. capital — money
  8. fork — in a road
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mate — a partner
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mate — a friend
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. stock — shares
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mate — to breed
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. ball — a dance
  22. chair — a leader
  23. capital — a city
  24. stock — goods

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