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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. charge — a price
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stem — to come from
  17. charge — in control
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. chest — a box
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. branch — a division
  24. lean — thin

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