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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. board — to get on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. drill — army training
  9. bark — to shout
  10. last — final
  11. lie — to recline
  12. drill — a practice
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. last — to go on
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. board — a committee
  20. chest — a box
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. drill — the tool
  23. last — finally
  24. board — a flat piece

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