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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bore — to tire
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cell — in biology
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wake — a trail
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cell — a phone
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stem — of a plant

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