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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. track — a song
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rest — a break
  8. row — to paddle
  9. clip — a video
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. track — a path
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. chair — a leader
  15. clip — to cut
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. clip — for paper
  18. row — a line
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rest — what's left
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. leaves — of a tree

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