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 116 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. season — in sport
  3. cue — for pool
  4. ball — a great time
  5. file — a document
  6. cue — a hint
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rush — hurry
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. chair — a leader
  14. cue — a signal
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. file — a line of people
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. file — a tool
  22. season — of the year
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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