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 116 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bear — the animal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. present — a gift
  11. bore — to tire
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bear — the animal
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. present — the time now
  23. bore — to drill
  24. present — there

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