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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. date — the fruit
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. clip — a video
  9. cell — a phone
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. snap — to click
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. race — the arms race
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. clip — for paper
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. race — humankind
  19. clip — to cut
  20. cell — in biology
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. chair — a leader
  23. race — a contest
  24. roll — a cake

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