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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. board — a committee
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. file — a tool
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. board — to get on
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. file — a document
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hand — help
  15. mug — to rob
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mug — a cup
  21. file — a line of people
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. mug — a face
  24. temple — a place of worship

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