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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. file — a tool
  4. last — final
  5. file — a document
  6. fine — all right
  7. pitch — completely
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. root — of a plant
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. file — a line of people
  15. last — to go on
  16. fine — high quality
  17. last — finally
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. swing — to play on
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a word
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  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