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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. lean — to bend
  3. tube — a container
  4. lean — thin
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. chair — a leader
  7. key — for a lock
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. spell — letters
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. tube — the underground
  15. spell — magic
  16. key — in music
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. key — the most important part
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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