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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. deal — to handle
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. kid — child
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. drill — army training
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. face — to confront
  12. kid — to tease
  13. craft — boats
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. drill — the tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. drill — a practice
  20. chair — a leader
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. lie — to recline
  24. craft — a skill

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