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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. chair — a leader
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kick — in football
  7. band — a ring
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wind — moving air
  16. squash — the sport
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. squash — to crush
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a music group
  23. last — final
  24. ball — a dance

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