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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. game — wild animals
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. chair — a leader
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. kid — child
  13. stem — to come from
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. game — a match
  23. deal — to handle
  24. kid — to tease

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