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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. drill — army training
  3. board — a committee
  4. race — humankind
  5. chair — a leader
  6. drill — the tool
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cell — in biology
  14. board — to get on
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. race — a contest
  18. bat — the animal
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cell — a phone
  22. drill — a practice
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. race — the arms race

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