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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. saw — the tool
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. vault — a safe
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. press — a publisher
  17. clip — a video
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. clip — for paper
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. press — to push

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