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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. staff — employees
  4. wake — a trail
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. face — to point toward
  8. craft — boats
  9. foot — a measure
  10. chair — a leader
  11. face — to confront
  12. bass — the fish
  13. march — the month
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bass — low music
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. staff — employees
  20. march — music
  21. craft — a skill
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wake — before a funeral

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