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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. suit — to fit
  3. chair — a leader
  4. can — to be able to
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. suit — in cards
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. can — a tin
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. content — happy
  14. suit — clothes
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cell — a phone
  18. content — the amount
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cell — in biology
  23. can — a tin
  24. rest — what's left

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