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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mug — to rob
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. last — finally
  11. chair — a leader
  12. last — final
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. file — a document
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. file — a tool
  18. last — to go on
  19. spell — magic
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spell — a short time
  22. file — a line of people
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. racket — for tennis

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