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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. staff — employees
  8. chair — a leader
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. staff — a stick
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bass — the fish
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bass — low music
  24. staff — employees

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