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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. key — for a lock
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. spring — the season
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. tear — from crying
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. spring — a coil
  11. current — electric
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. current — happening now
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. current — of water
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chest — a box
  20. spring — of water
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. tear — to rip
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chest — of your body

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