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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. chair — a leader
  5. swing — music
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. march — the month
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mine — for digging
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. swing — in golf
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wind — moving air
  20. march — the month
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lean — thin
  23. march — music
  24. wind — to turn a key

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