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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. snap — to click
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. clip — a video
  7. root — of a plant
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mark — a grade
  13. clip — for paper
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. foot — a measure
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mark — a trace
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. root — the cause
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. root — of a word

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