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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. field — farmland
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. field — for sport
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. field — a subject
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — to sit on

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