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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. squash — to crush
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. net — in sport
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. can — to be able to
  12. lie — to recline
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chair — a leader
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. squash — the sport
  21. can — a tin
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stem — to come from
  24. can — a tin

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