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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. net — for catching
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. game — a match
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. chest — a box
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. net — in sport
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. last — finally
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. last — to go on
  20. net — after costs
  21. chest — of your body
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chair — to sit on

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