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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. row — to paddle
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. swing — music
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. clip — to cut
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. swing — in golf
  10. mark — a grade
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. chip — to eat
  17. clip — for paper
  18. chip — for betting
  19. clip — a video
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chair — a professorship

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