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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. last — final
  5. fall — the season
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bound — obliged
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bound — tied together
  10. stock — shares
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. stock — goods
  16. pitch — completely
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bound — certain
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fall — to drop

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