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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. chair — a leader
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. roll — a list
  8. spring — the season
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. face — to confront
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bear — the animal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. spring — of water
  19. board — to get on
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. file — a document
  22. face — to point toward
  23. board — a committee
  24. roll — on a roll

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