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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. vault — a safe
  3. chair — a leader
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rock — a stone
  6. fall — the season
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. clip — a video
  9. fork — in a road
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. clip — to cut
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. rock — music
  20. shower — rain
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. pit — in a race

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