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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spell — a short time
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mate — a partner
  7. face — to point toward
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. chair — a leader
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. face — part of the head
  13. spring — the season
  14. rash — a series
  15. face — to confront
  16. spell — magic
  17. mate — to breed
  18. spring — a coil
  19. mate — a friend
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. spell — letters
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. spring — of water
  24. rash — hasty

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