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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chest — a box
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. cell — in biology
  9. chest — of your body
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. charge — in control
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. file — a document
  15. cell — a phone
  16. file — a line of people
  17. charge — electricity
  18. chair — a leader
  19. charge — a price
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. file — a tool
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cell — in a prison

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