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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. chair — a leader
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. staff — employees
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mug — a cup
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. spring — the season
  22. mug — a face
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — to hurry

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