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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. charge — electricity
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. spring — of water
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. spring — the season
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. charge — in control
  12. race — humankind
  13. chair — a leader
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bass — low music
  16. race — a contest
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. charge — a price
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stand — to bear
  24. sharp — clever

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