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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. land — ground
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. saw — the tool
  9. swing — music
  10. clip — a video
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. clip — to cut
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. swing — to play on
  18. land — a country
  19. mine — for digging
  20. land — to come down
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mine — an explosive

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