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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bound — obliged
  5. net — for catching
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. chair — a leader
  11. fork — in a road
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. spell — magic
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bound — certain
  16. cap — a lid
  17. spell — a short time
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spell — letters
  21. net — after costs
  22. bound — tied together
  23. net — in sport
  24. fall — to drop

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