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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bat — the animal
  5. staff — employees
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. vault — a safe
  9. band — a music group
  10. staff — employees
  11. chair — a leader
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. lean — thin
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cap — a hat
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cap — a lid
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. band — a ring
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. cap — of ice
  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